How to Address Prospect Reluctance in Cold Outreach

Most reps start cold outreach with: "I saw your company..." Then wonder why they get ignored. I’ve reviewed 1000+ cold outreach messages. The ones that worked all followed the same pattern: INSIGHT → PAIN → QUESTION Most cold outreach fails because you lead with YOUR agenda: "I'd love to show you our solution..." "I think we could help you with..." Prospects immediately think: "Another sales pitch." Delete. The framework that gets 15-20% response rates: Step 1: INSIGHT Lead with something they don't know about their situation. Share an industry trend or benchmark. "Most VPs we work with don't realize that 60% of their pipeline stalls because..." Why insights work: They position you as an expert, not a salesperson. They create curiosity instead of resistance. Step 2: PAIN Connect that insight to a potential problem they might be experiencing. "...which means you're probably dealing with longer sales cycles and more 'no decisions'..." The key word is "probably." This feels consultative, not presumptuous. Step 3: QUESTION Ask if they're seeing something similar. Not if they want a demo. "Are you seeing similar patterns in your pipeline?" Why questions work better: Questions start conversations. Asks trigger resistance. Full example: "Hi [Name], Most sales VPs don't realize that 73% of deals stall because reps are selling to champions instead of decision makers. This usually shows up as lots of 'positive feedback' but deals dying in committee. Are you seeing similar patterns where reps have great conversations but struggle to get deals across the finish line? Best, [Your name]" What this accomplishes: ✅You sound different from every other rep ✅You lead with value instead of ask ✅You focus on their problem, not your solution The psychological shift: Instead of "This rep wants something from me," they think "This person might understand my situation." Common mistakes to avoid: ✅Don't make the insight too generic ✅Don't make the pain too assumptive ✅Don't end with a meeting ask The result: 15-20% response rates because you sound like a consultant, not a vendor. Stop pitching. Start consulting. — AEs! Check out the 3 questions that break through price objections here: https://lnkd.in/gbBjgxxS Sales Leaders: Want to install a revenue system that your reps can follow? DM me.

Cold calling lesson: Don’t pitch. Poke. Let’s say I’m selling software that filters out fake AI-generated job applications. I could open the call like this: “Hey, we help talent teams eliminate AI-generated applications before they hit your ATS. We use advanced detection to save hours of recruiter time. The purpose of my call is to schedule time to show you how it works.” That’s a pitch. And when people feel pitched, they brace themselves. They get quiet. Guarded. Distrustful. Now let’s try poking the bear instead: “Not sure if you’re seeing this, but a bunch of companies are getting flooded with AI-generated job apps that look totally legit. How are you spotting those before they hit your ATS?” That’s not a pitch. That’s an illumination question. It surfaces a blind spot. It creates a little tension. It invites someone to think, not defend. Here’s the psychology: When you pitch, you’re telling them what their problem is. When you poke the bear, you’re letting them recognize it for themselves. That moment of recognition is where curiosity begins. And curiosity opens the door to conversation. So next time you’re on a cold call, ditch the pitch. Poke the bear. Buyers have the answers. Sellers have the questions.

“Send me an email.” Over the past 5 years, I have trained 3,500+ reps across dozens of teams (from companies like Zoom, Gong, Rippling, and more) on how to handle this objection like a boss. And I use the same this simple 3-step framework every time: - But first—a quick reality check. Once you hang up the phone, the success rate of landing a meeting goes down dramatically. There’s literally a <1% success rate of sending an email that blows the socks off your prospect so much they respond with: “KILLER email! Yes, let’s talk. Are you available right now?” Play the odds. You’re better off asking for the meeting again. ✅ Step 1: Greet the objection Prospect: “Can you send me an email?” Rep: “Sure thing, happy to.” Doing so disarms the prospect. And that’s all you can ask for when objection handling during a cold call. Genuine conversation. That’s the goal. ✅ Step 2: Get more info Now it’s time to dig in. Your goal is to anchor back to a legitimate reason for the prospect to meet with you. Prospect: “Can you send me an email.” Rep: “Sure thing, happy to. Before I send you that email, I'm curious—every contact center leader I talk to says the #1 thing they want is to do reduce cost to serve. Too many people are calling into the contact center. And they don't know why. How does that resonate with what you're seeing right now?” Then dig in for as much as the prospect is willing: - Find out their current solution - See if they have similar problems that your clients have ✅ Step 3: Ask for the meeting Now it’s time to anchor what you just learned to the reason for meeting. Rep: “Great. That's actually what I hear from a lot of contact center leaders. How about this—I could send you an email that you're probably not going to read that's gonna have a lot of different use cases and stuff. Or it could just share with you how we've helped Nordstrom and several similar companies with the same exact problem. If nothing else, you'll get some insights, you're free to steal from that conversation. Do you have your calendar handy?" This usually does the trick Bonus: How to handle resistance Still getting resistance? Try this: Rep: “Okay, no worries. How about we put 5 minutes on the calendar for tomorrow when you’ve had a chance to look over the email? If you like what you see, we keep the meeting. If you don’t, you can cancel. Sound fair?” ============== And that’s how you handle the “send me an email” objection. Want more tips like this? Join me Will Aitken 💙, Jack Wauson from Mixmax, and Abdulla Jarrod Casino from ZoomInfo for a free objection handling training next Wed 3/6/24. Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02lg9040 #sales #outbound #prospecting