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 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.