The Objection to Talking Bears

One of the first things I learned about sales from an account executive is that the first objection is rarely the real objection.

So, get out your power drill!

One way to sidestep many objections is to ensure that the client agreed upon strategy solves the client agreed upon problem. Otherwise, things can go haywire fast. For instance:

The creative director proudly shows a talking bear animation concept.

CLIENT:          I’m not a fan of talking bears.

ME:                Oh, but you’re not the audience. We’re selling cereal to kids.

CLIENT:          Bears don’t talk.

ME:                Have you ever been to the Build-A-Bear-Workshop?

CLIENT :          As a small child, I was chased by a bear in the woods.

ME:                So, you’re telling me that you have bear PTSD (the real objection). Well, Mr. Client, would you go for a talking bunny?

Note: Smartass a client at your own peril.

But, backing up to the brief. The real issue here is a flabby problem definition. It’s not clear how a talking bear solves the client’s woes. In our creative briefs, we tackle this with a simple question, “What is the Problem the #Marketing Must Solve?” The reasoning here is that if you can define the problem, you can engineer a strategy that solves it.

Back to the bears and a reframing of the situation.

A potential marketing problem is that our prospects have never heard of us. Just for yucks, let’s call this a branding problem, and reframe the narrative:

CLIENT:          I don’t like talking bears.

ME:                Your logo is a bear.

CLIENT:          So?

ME:                Bears don’t talk so a talking bear would be funny and memorable.

CLIENT:          I’ll think about it.

We still might end up with a talking bunny or another concept altogether. But at least the decisionmaker can see the alignment between the problem and solution, and you become thoughtful and creative instead of being just plain crazy. Live to pitch another day!

How do you sell strategy, and how do you get to the real objections to your work or ideas?

Bill Abramovitz is a #Cincinnati based freelance writer and bear lover.

Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash

#brandingtips #salesefficiency #marketingstrategy