Cold call objection: Handling "send me more information by email"

Cold call objection: Handling "send me more information by email"

Early on in a cold call, a prospect will give you the classic stealth sales objection: "Can you send me some more information? I'll review it and get back to you."

A new and insecure sales rep will respond, "Of course! I'll send it right your way." They send out the email, and that's it. Maybe one or two timid follow-ups, and they file the lead away.

Let's break down why blindly sending more information is the wrong way to respond and how experienced and successful sales reps respond to this common request.

Successfully manage any objection by downloading your free objection management template.

The painless way of losing deals

To insecure sales reps, it doesn't feel like it's a lost opportunity. There's still hope, right?

Maybe the prospect will review the info you sent him, find you're selling exactly what he needs, call you up, and ask one or two clarifying questions. A subtle nudge of your elegant salesmanship will be all it takes to close the deal.

Positive thinking at its finest—except the real world doesn't work this way.

What "please send me more information" really means

It means "I'm not interested, and I don't want to give you my attention and time."

It's simply the most convenient way for the person on the other end of the line to get rid of you. They don't want to be rude; you don't want to be rejected. You both know it. Thus, the unspoken agreement is reached between the two of you.

Why you shouldn't just send more information when they ask for it

You haven't learned anything about this prospect yet. You haven't qualified them. You don't know what their wants and needs are, which problems they face, whether they can afford your solution, etc.

Based on this lack of knowledge, what kind of information will you send them?

Just generic stuff about YOUR company.

What do you think will come out of that?

Nothing.

When you send info materials to a prospect, you want to be sure that it's custom-tailored to the recipient, so that it actually hits the mark.

How to respond when someone requests more information

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1. Use the power of yes

First of all, tell them: "Yes! Can I have your email?"

This is the jiu jitsu part. You use the momentum their request has to your advantage, and then redirect it the way you want to.

2. Get them invested

After they give you their email address, tell them:

"I want to make sure that I send you the most relevant piece of information. Can you tell me, _______ [easy to answer qualifying question, e.g. are you guys more interested in X or Y]?"

This is a tiny, little follow-up question that most prospects will answer. However, it's powerful because it will cause them to lower their guard, thereby shifting the conversation's momentum.

They have given you a bit more information, invested a bit more time and energy into the conversation—and thus are more likely to stick around.

3. Ask more follow-up questions

Engage them in a conversation by carefully asking more follow-up questions. The secret to success here is to fine-tune your antennas, but it's really not rocket science. If you're in a good state, and you genuinely care and listen, you can do this.

Some people will cut you off and tell you to just send them the information. If they do, that's fine. Thank them for their time, and get them the info they've asked for.

Many times you can really get them engrossed into long sales conversations. I do this all the time when people ask me to send them more information because they're "too busy to talk right now". 20 minutes later, they're still on the phone with me.

People actually often LIKE this. Rather than a high-pressure sales call with a sleazy telemarketer, they're having a real conversation with a knowledgeable person showing interest in their opinions, problems and wishes. (I'm assuming you have subject matter expertise).

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4. Take the next step

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Usually you'll still end the call by telling them that they'll get more information. But now you've moved the sale much further. You know more about them, they know more about you, you both have determined that there's some real potential for mutual value creation. You'll be able to send them much more relevant information to them, and they'll study it much more attentively.

I've had many sales calls where a prospect tried to get rid of me by asking for more information, and using the simple engagement strategy I shared with you here, I re-engaged and closed them on that same call. And if you practice this enough, you'll see similar results. Don't forget to download your free objection management template.