Influencers Invited Sales Blog

When presented with a response such as, “I can’t afford this” or “I don’t have any money” there are a number of rebuttals that you can utilize to overcome this objection. The most common rebuttal for an objection of this nature is to reply:

“That’s fine. We don’t need a payment today. I can take your credit card number and we can begin making monthly deductions during our next billing cycle.”

This objection is an accurate representation of the facts, even if the billing cycle begins immediately and the person’s credit card is charged that day. Credit cards are billed monthly so the person being billed wouldn’t have to pay upfront. Rather, they would pay when they received their bill.

A more daring, but entirely applicable response may be, “How can you afford NOT to”? The technique behind this rebuttal is to provide a rationale for making the purchase that outweighs the cost of the product or service you’re selling. Whether the potential client is aware of it or not, in the moment you make your pitch or offer your proposal, they are making a cost/benefit analysis. Often this evaluation is made in a fraction of a second. Your job is to persuade the buyer that the benefit outweighs the cost. Know your product. Believe in it. And then present the facts about what you’re selling in such a way as to make the thing you’re selling a necessity.

If the customer can be made to understand that what you’re selling is indispensable AND is of a higher value than what it is being sold for, you will find yourself closing more sales. It’s also important to recognize that “value” does not necessarily mean “money”. The product or service costs money, true, but what you’re really selling is something else — security, beauty, an investment in the future. Sell your potential client on the psychological or emotion value of the item they are purchasing.

Finally, a more detailed, but highly effective technique is to relate the cost of the sale to a superfluous, but common expense that a potential client may incur on a regular basis. For example, if the cost of your sale is $30.00 a month, you might reply, “Sir/Madam, by making a minor adjustment in your living expenses you can easily afford our (service, product, etc.) without spending a single dime outside of your monthly budget. The cost is only $30.00 a month. That’s no more than a cup of coffee. I’m sure you would be willing to sacrifice your morning cup of coffee at Starbucks for the sake of security in your life (here sell the person on the underlying value of the product or service).”

The challenge here is to relate the cost of the sale to something your potential client considers unnecessary. This will vary from person to person and requires a bit of creativity on your part. If the potential client is in their twenties, you might use coffee, CD’s or eating out to justify the cost of the service. Older clients may respond better to the cost of newspapers or social events, such as golfing.

In closing, you want to leave your target with the impression that the product or service is affordable; that the cost will be transparent with an adjustment to their spending habits and that the service is something that they can’t afford not to use. Everyone wants something for nothing. Your task is to convince the client that they will be disadvantaged without your sale and that your sale is something that is well within their financial grasp.