An imaginary simple life:
You – This TV is amazing, it blows its competition out of the water. Every house in the UK will own one soon so make sure you’re the innovator in your street and buy yours today.
Prospect – Fantastic, I’ll have one!
The real world:
You – This TV is amazing, it blows its competition out of the water. Every house in the UK will own one soon so make sure you’re the innovator in your street and buy yours today.
Prospect – It’s a bit expensive.
You – But it’s the latest technology.
Prospect – But I don’t really need all those features
You – But it’s cutting-edge.
Prospect – I’ll have to ask the wife
You – But…wait…its great…hang on…come back!!!!
It’s sad but true – writing great copy isn’t just about getting your customers to say yes, it’s also about stopping them from saying no.
So when you sit down with your client to take the brief for their web page, email, brochure etc., don’t just focus on the benefits of their product/service, you also have to find out the reasons why a customer may not believe your magic words and say no.
Yes, but…
In a face to face sales situation you really don’t want to hear those 2 words – or those that follow them.
But at least if you’re in front of the customer you stand a chance of being able to break down their objections.
When you’re selling remotely through copy, that’s not an option – your copywriting has to address their fears and wash them away.
Common objections
The 3 most common objections are (or at least the ones I tend to use):
- It’s too expensive
- I need to talk to someone else
- I don’t really need it
Let’s look at each in turn.
Too expensive
This is frequently used but seldom the reason for not buying. Normally there is another reason; price is just an easy one to target.
To get round this one you have to demonstrate the value of the product to your reader – show them it will actually save them money. The best way to do this is to refer to it as an investment. It sounds a bit grander than ‘cost’ and it implies there will be a payback of some sort.
Talk to someone else
They rarely do but it’s a nice let-out from having to make a buying decision.
By saying this they are implying they’re not convinced by your product so you can counter that through your copy with testimonials and case studies. These real life examples will give them the reassurance they need.
Don’t think I need it
Oh boy, if this one crops up it can mean only one thing – your copy hasn’t done its job because it’s not ‘sold’ the idea.
There’s only one this to do here and that’s to return to the drawing board. Take a look at your copy – have you told a story? Did you cover all the benefits? Did you explain how your reader will benefit (with facts)?
Also go back to the product/service and find out exactly what it does for the reader – not its functions and features, its actual benefits; how it will make your readers’ lives better.
Over to you
There will always be objections to overcome so make sure you list every potential objection before you start writing your copy.
If you can dispel those doubts you are much closer to getting the sales you (and your client) want.
What other objections have you come across and how did you overcome them? Leave a comment below and share your experiences.
Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter, blogger and social media addict
