“We Don’t need Your Product!”

You may have faced this issue many times when you’re on a sales call. You introduce yourself, make your product presentation and then ask for the customer to buy. Yet, the customer replies that they don’t need your product.

If the customer really did not need your product, they should be eliminated at the prospect stage. Since you have researched and evaluated that your product could benefit the customer, that is why you have approached the customer for the sale. If not, then you need to go back to the drawing board and consider making changes to your prospecting criteria, so they don’t return false positives.

If your process is vetted and you are confident on the data, then you need to look at why the customer is saying that they do not need your product. It could be as simple as the need for the product you are selling not being recognized or the customer is not at the stage where they need the product yet. In either case, consider this an opportunity.

Yes, this is an opportunity. You are the first to reach the customer and therefore your product has been introduced to them by you. You get to make the most of it and sell them the benefits and value of your product. If the customer has not reached the stage where they recognize the need for the product yet, they will reach the stage some time in the future. Make use of your experience and give the customer a rough estimate of when you think that will be. Use the opportunity to confirm that you can call them back when that happens. This ensures that when the need does arise, you will be present to make the sale.

There could be another reason why the customer does not need your product and that is that they were not paying attention when you were talking. The customer is busy and has a lot of things on his or her mind. When they set up the appointment to meet you, they did not anticipate the problem that came up that morning and which is occupying their attention at this time. If this is the case, the customer’s body language will give some of it away. They will keep looking at the door waiting for someone to come to them with information about the issue, or their attention will keep darting to their computer or phone.

Rather than try to sell the product when the customer is not paying attention, it is better to reschedule the meeting with the customer for a time when they are more receptive. Acknowledge the fact that the customer seems distracted and may not be in the right frame of mind for a buy decision at the moment. Remember, you are selling for the relationship. Be empathetic towards the customer. The customer in turn will feel obliged and the next time you meet will be in a better frame of mind and more receptive to what you have to say.

Another possibility could be that they are not the sole decision maker on the buying process and the need assessment for the product has to be done by the technical department. You could ask for their buying process going in to make sure that you are talking to the right person. Sometimes, you may need to go through a few screening processes before your product reaches the decision maker. If you are circumventing the process and going to the top, you are going to come up to a road block as the person at the top will not make the decision to buy unless someone from the relevant department has reviewed and approved your product. Follow the right channels to make the sale.

The need for the product may also rely on their buying cycle. The customer makes their purchases for the product you’re peddling in August and here you are telling them to buy the product in February. They don’t need the product now. They will need it in a few months though. Understand the customer’s buying cycle and as the customer if they can reschedule a meeting for an appropriate date. The customer will most probably oblige as everyone wants to look for better value and would love to evaluate your product against their current vendors.

In short, the objection that they do not need the product can have many facets. Your success as a sales person relies on the fact of how quickly you recognize the real reason for the objection and how you can turn it into an opportunity.