Information Technology Analysis

Information Technology Consultants Tips for Overcoming Sales Objections

Many self-employed Information Technology consultants believe that they are in the IT business.  The reality, however, is quite different.  Being a successful Information Technology Consultant often hinges on your ability to build and maintain high-value relationships.

And when it comes to getting the ball rolling during the sales process, Information Technology consultants working with small businesses should understand that overcoming sales objections is a critical aspect of sales.  In order to be successful, you need to become an expert at learning how to get rid of fears surrounding paying for technology support and showing the value proposition of your sophisticated solutions.

The key to overcoming objections is to be quick.  You need to convey confidence, professionalism, and know what you are talking about.

The ability to overcome sales objections is particularly useful when you are trying to sell an IT audit, also sometimes called a technology assessment.  There aren’t really hard and fast rules when it comes to overcoming objections, but there are definitely some common objections you will hear.

The following are 3 common sales objections that Information Technology consultants often hear when selling to small businesses, as well as some pre-scripted objection handlers that you can use out in the field.

1. Your Prospective Client Says, “Isn’t Your IT Audit Overkill for a Company Our Size?” If you hear this objection, you can come back with, “If technology is important to you, think about this.  Would you go on a long trip without checking out your tire pressure, oil level, and fuel gauge?  Would you make a huge real estate purchase without having an independent property appraisal?  You need an independent assessment of what’s going on with your IT systems, because often what appears to be the problem on the surface when it comes to technology is not at all the issue.  In fact, for many small businesses, their previous Information Technology consultants did such a masterful job of disguising problems, that the IT audit becomes a huge eye-opener.  And if you’ll indulge me for moment, to help illustrate this I’ve brought along a few video case studies and testimonials from our clients, who were until very recently in the same situation as you.”
2. Your Prospect Asks, “Can’t You Just Throw It All Away and Start from Scratch?” If this kind of question appears, consider responding with similar like, “That might sound good, but there can be a huge danger in buying too much or buying too little.  If you under-buy, it means you’ve underestimated your true needs and just picked the cheapest alternative.  What happens in this case is that you have to throw away what you bought just a few months ago when you realize your system is big-time inadequate.  On the flip side, over-buying means you will end up spending too much of your budget on technology that is not going to work best for your company.  You need a needs analysis from Information Technology consultants that will be able to tell you exactly what you need to make your most business efficient, and give you the best for the buck from your IT investments.”
3. Your Potential Future Client Says, “Can’t Our Internal Guru Do Some of This Work to Save Us Some Money?” When you hear this objection, you can reply with, “If this is how you want  to do it, I can tell you specifically what you’ll need for an untrained person to do an IT audit, and you can decide whether or not your internal guru can handle it.  You will need seven critical elements if you choose not to use trained Information Technology consultants:  a complete, up-to-date system documentation; a maintenance history of what’s been done so far; a supporting call log; a list of the kinds of support calls that are being generated on a regular basis; a complete up-to-date asset inventory; a history of any recent projects that have been started or completed; a data protection vulnerability analysis.  On top of this, you’ll need to give your internal guru an incredibly detailed list of exactly what needs to be done to bring you up to date.  What we can accomplish in a few hours might take an non-IT professional literally weeks of time… and he or she will probably still miss a lot of key areas.  It’s like trying to train someone who knows how to do their own simple tax return on the intricacies of forensic accounting or tax planning for a $100M company.”  This long list of items will almost always prove to your prospective client that he/she does not have enough time or the right resources or expertise to do this type of assessment alone.

In this article we outlined 3 IT audit-related sales objections you might encounter working in the small business space and how you can overcome them.  To learn more about how Information Technology consultants handle sales objections and the sales process as a whole, sign-up for free proven tips on how to attract more great, steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.InformationTechnologyConsult.com

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About the Author

Joshua Feinberg is the author and editorial director of the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, which helps computer consultants, VARs, integrators, solution providers, and managed services providers get more of the best, steady, high-paying small business (SMB) clients.

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