(By Rick Fink) Have you ever had a business owner tell you after you made your presentation that they don’t have the budget? Sure, you have. If you are dealing with the true decision-maker, you’ve just been lied to!
It’s not a lie in the sense that it was meant to hurt you. It was more of an excuse because they would rather say that than, “I don’t like your idea,” “I don’t think your station is the right fit,” or one of several other excuses that would ultimately put the blame on you and potentially hurt your feelings!
There are several lessons to learn from this example:
- Make sure you are talking to the decision-maker from the very beginning.
- If they are absolutely the decision-maker and use this objection, dig deeper and find out the real objection. You might reply with something like, “Mr./Mrs. Business Owner, with all due respect, you are the person that makes all budgeting decisions. If you really liked the idea I presented and felt it would help grow your business, you would find the budget, correct? So, can I respectfully ask why you don’t want to move forward with this plan? I can assure you I won’t be offended by doing so.”
- If you come up with a strong enough idea that they are convinced will give them a strong ROI, they’ll find the money. Side Note: ask for what the idea is worth. Good ideas are worth good money. Great ideas are worth great money. If you have a GREAT idea, don’t be afraid to ask for a BIG budget!
Your job is to uncover the real reason why they said, “It’s not in the budget”. It’s then your job to tweak your plan accordingly, or if needed, reload and come up with an altogether new proposal based on their feedback.
It’s not an easy question to ask, and it’s one you can and should practice before it ever happens. By not asking, you are simply prolonging them from ever buying from you.
Rick Fink from ENS Media can be reached at 605-310-2062 or [email protected]. Read Rick’s Radio Ink archives here.
