How to Get Past Common Buyer Brush-Offs in SaaS Sales
Salespeople need to be able to neutralise and move past buyer objections to be successful, but there’s a distinction between objections and brush-offs. An objection is a legitimate concern that could threaten a deal, while a brush-off comes from a less genuine place — it’s a knee-jerk reaction prospects raise when they want to quickly and abruptly end a sales call.
Brush-offs are time savers — ways for prospects to get you off their back without much regard for what you’re selling or how you’re selling it. And if you want to consistently engage in meaningful conversations with prospects, you need to know how to work past them.
That means learning to be disruptive. If you offer up a traditional, more passive response, your buyer will continue on autopilot — not even giving you a second thought when the call ends. Dare to be different. When you hear the following five prospecting brush-offs, use these responses to break the prospect’s trance and get them to truly tune into what you’re saying.
5 Typical Brush-Offs and How to Respond to Them
- “I don’t have time for this right now.”
Prospects are busy, and your call is undoubtedly interrupting their work. Who likes to be interrupted? No one. So don’t be surprised when you hear a hasty “Now’s not a good time,” as soon as the buyer realises this is a sales call.
Most salespeople will then apologise and ask, “When would be a better time?” The prospect automatically replies next month, quarter, or year — any day that’s not today. But as sales reps well know, a successful call ends with a concrete calendar meeting, not a vague “Let’s talk later.”
So how can salespeople turn this brush-off into a meeting with a specific date and time? It’s incredibly easy.
Don’t say anything.
That’s right. When you hear this brush-off, simply fall silent. After a few seconds of silence, the prospect will feel uncomfortable and ask, “Are you still there?” Then the salesperson can respond with, “Yes, I’m here. I thought you were looking at your calendar for a better time to talk.”
What a disarming reply! It catches them off-guard — and they often wind up actually offering up a day and time that works better as a result. Meeting booked, and attention earned. - “I’m not the right person.”
Prospecting isn’t a perfect science, so it’s likely that the first person you call upon won’t be the decision-maker. No problem — all you have to do is ask the person you’re on the phone with who the right contact is.
Easier said than done. Prospects often fire off “I’m not the right person” or “That’s a different department” and then mentally check out. They don’t owe you anything, so why would they point you in the right direction?
If a sales rep immediately asks, “Who should I talk to?”, most prospects will counter with something like, “Just send me some information and I’ll forward it along.” Dead end.
Here’s a better exchange:
Prospect: “I’m not the right person.”
Salesperson: “Well let me ask you this — where should I go to get better educated on your company?”
Prospect: “Well … there’s a section on our website with information for vendors.”
Salesperson: “So I can get there right from your homepage?”
Prospect: “That’s right.”
Salesperson: “Let me see if I can find it while I have you here. Is ‘Vendor 101’ the right page?”
Prospect: “Yes, that’s the correct one.”
Salesperson: “And after I do the research, who should I ask for?”
You still ask for a referral — you just don’t do it right off the bat. Instead, engage the prospect on another topic before you swoop in with the ask. The contact is much more likely to point you in the right direction if you warm them up a bit first. - “I’ve already looked at your company, and we weren’t interested.”
Most salespeople take this statement to mean that the prospect isn’t a good fit. They’ve already disqualified themselves — time to move on to the next opportunity.
Not so fast. Rather than asking if anything has changed in the meantime or thanking them for their time and ending the call, try this approach instead:
Prospect: “We already looked at you guys last month and didn’t think it was the right choice.”
Salesperson: “Well, if you looked at us last month and crossed us off, that was probably the right decision.”
[Pause]
Salesperson: “But I’ve never spoken to you before, and the good news is I’ll know in five minutes if anything has changed that’s worthy of a phone call from us. Do you have five minutes?”
Prospect: “Sure.”
You never want to argue with the prospect’s ability to make a decision. Don’t tell them they made a mistake — instead, focus on the future and pose a few quick qualifying questions. This way, if you discover that the company could, in fact, benefit from your product or service, you can re-engage the decision-maker without making them feel dumb. - “Can you just send me some information?”
Salespeople live to serve their prospects and clients, so when they hear this question, they immediately jump to fulfill the request. However, merely sending content doesn’t get a meeting booked, which is often the goal of a prospecting call.
Instead of offering to send information right away, use this response to regain control of the conversation:
Prospect: “Can you just send me some information?”
Salesperson: “I’d be happy to, but I want to make sure I send you the right information. Can you help me understand a bit more about what you’re looking for?”
Prospect: “Well, we’re exploring different options for X.”
Salesperson: “Great! What specifically are you looking to achieve with X?”
Prospect: “We want to streamline our processes and improve efficiency.”
Salesperson: “Understood. In that case, I have a case study of a client who achieved similar results with our solution. Would that be helpful?”
Prospect: “Yes, that sounds interesting.”
By asking probing questions, you’re able to tailor your response and offer specific information that is relevant to the prospect’s needs. This not only keeps the conversation going but also positions you as a valuable resource and increases the likelihood of scheduling a future meeting. - “We’re already working with a vendor.”
This brush-off can be a tough one to overcome. The prospect is essentially saying, “We’ve made a commitment and we’re not interested in exploring alternatives.”
However, don’t give up just yet. Try this approach to see if there’s a possibility for future collaboration:
Prospect: “We’re already working with a vendor.”
Salesperson: “I understand. Most companies are working with someone. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you did a review of other providers in the market?”
Prospect: “It’s been a while. We’ve been with our current vendor for a few years now.”
Salesperson: “That’s great to hear that you’ve had a successful partnership for so long. We find that many companies like to conduct regular reviews to ensure they’re still getting the best value and service. If you ever decide to explore other options, I’d be happy to share some insights and see if we can add value to your business.”
Prospect: “Alright, sounds interesting.”
By acknowledging the prospect’s current vendor relationship and planting the seed for a future review, you’re positioning yourself as a helpful resource and potentially opening the door for further discussions down the line. Even if the prospect isn’t ready to make a switch now, they may be more receptive to exploring other options in the future.
Remember, when facing brush-offs in SaaS sales, it’s important to respond with confidence, empathy, and a genuine desire to understand the prospect’s needs. By using these strategies, you can break through the initial resistance, engage the prospect in a meaningful conversation, and increase your chances of securing a valuable sales opportunity.