One of the disadvantages of business-to-business
direct mail lead generation letters is that you are
selling on paper, not in person. That means you are
unable to read your prospect’s body language.
Unable to hear and overcome his objections.
And yet one of the advantages of sales letters is
that you are selling on paper, not in person. Face to
face, a prospect can interrupt you and change the
subject. But on paper, you remain in control.
As long as your prospective customer keeps reading,
you control the sales process.
Another advantage of sales letters is that you can
anticipate objections and answer them in the body of
the letter. You can even start your letter with a
common objection, and answer it square on.
Here are three common objections, and ways that
you can overcome them in your B2B direct mail lead
generation letters.
“WE DON’T WANT IT”
Overcome this objection by presenting benefits that
your reader may have overlooked, or may never have
considered. Assume that your prospect understands
the benefits of your product or service only in a
general way.
“We reduce your downtime because we
ship your replacement transformer in under three
hours, guaranteed. We lead the industry in in-stock,
emergency transformer
replacements.”
“YOU ARE TOO EXPENSIVE”
Overcome this objection by describing the quick
return on investment that your prospect will enjoy
(assuming there is one). Or show how buying a
competitor’s product is actually more expensive once
total cost of ownership is calculated.
“Yes, you will save money in the short
term
by buying a Blodux 5236. But our Nadag 7876 lasts
longertwo years longer. Which means you will pay
$125 less per month for the life of our machine
compared with its closest
competitor.”
“WE ALREADY HAVE A SUPPLIER”
Overcome this objection not by bad-mouthing your
competitor but by stressing benefits that your
competitor does not or cannot offer. Or show how
your competitor isn’t really a competitor because
your company concentrates only on selling the
product in question, while your competitor sells a
great deal more, making them a generalist but you a
specialist.
“Your current supplier certainly has a
well-
earned reputation in our industry for a quality
product. But my firm delivers a comparable product
backed by better after-sales service. We offer you
the personal, customized service that larger firms
cannot match.”
If you are crafting a sales letter and don’t know the
common objections that prospects raise, talk to your
sales force. They are the best source for
understanding how to turn a prospect’s no into a
yes.
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the “About the author” message).
