At the point that you and your sales team endeavour to bring in more clients for your SEO services, you will certainly run in to a whole lot of objections that may deter your motivation. Here are 5 people you are likely to meet and how to overcome the obstacle of their objections:

 

  1. The straight shooter

What he’ll say: “I only need AdWords to market my business which is something I can handle myself!”

 

This type of manager may be tough to convince otherwise. As an SEO consultant, you already know that it takes more than AdWords to market successfully online. But how do you convince him of that?

 

Try the following:

–          Ask him if he is willing to save on his AdWords. Work out a package where your fees are less than the money he is overspending.

–          Let him know that in the near future, a bunch of his competitors will be opting for AdWords too. If his site isn’t optimized, how will he compete?

–          Do a quick analysis of his site and show him how long his visitors are staying on his page. If it’s below average, you’re half way there to convince him to reconsider his position.

 

  1. The sceptic

What she’ll say: “SEO is not a sure thing. I know because my brother tried it and it didn’t work!”

 

OK, fair enough. The world is full of these managers. Word of mouth has ruined their perception of SEO and now they have taken on an anti-SEO campaign with everyone they speak to.

 

As someone who realizes that SEO is a progressive science, you can pose the following challenges:

–          How long did her brother try it for? It takes at least 6 months to optimize a site—an investment worth waiting for.

–          What type of company did her brother try? There are countless small agencies who decided to jump onto the SEO bandwagon. Assure her that your company is serious.

–          Give this manager a list of things needed to truly optimize a site for SEO. Mention everything you can think of such as regular blogging, social media, link campaigns, affiliates… show that you know what you’re talking about.

 

  1. The analytic

What he’ll say: “There are only 10 places on Google’s first page list. What if 10 of my competitors also have SEO agencies optimizing their online reputation?”

 

This guy may be your toughest challenge yet. He’s a self-appointed logic expert and may even be a bit of a pessimist. Objections like these call for a no-hesitation jump into the deep end.

 

This manager will appreciate it if you really put yourself out there. Explain to him that:

–          Within the next few years, whoever has the best SEO company working for them will be the leader in that industry; then tell him that you are the best SEO company!

–          Explain that his objection is even more of a reason to hire you. How will he compete on an online level if he doesn’t start now?

 

  1. The hothead

What she’ll say: “How soon will I see results?”

 

Ah yes; the impatient one. She’s used to getting results and getting them yesterday.

 

You may want to try an analogy approach to this objection. Tell her that:

–          SEO isn’t a billboard that you stick up and wait at your telephone for customers to call you. It’s a comprehensive strategy that takes time, perseverance, and skill. Assure her that your team possess all of these qualities.

–          In the same way you cultivate a tree, a company’s online reputation must be a steady grow that adapts to the changing climate of the industry as well as the internet.

 

  1. The controller

What he’ll say: “OK, let’s go ahead. But I want to check everything and make sure it fits in well with my industry.”

 

Not really an objection, but certainly a red flag. A manager that wants to keep his hand on every move you make will ultimately work against him. You need to be clear about this when addressing this type of person.

 

In as nice a way as possible, explain that:

–          You and your team are experts at what you do. SEO project management, copywriting, and the psychology of web design are not skills you learn in a day. Leave it to the experts to do the heavy lifting.

–          SEO is too time-consuming to keep sending stuff in for checking. Assure your client that you perform strict quality control over everything that gets done.

–          SEO is trial and error. Mistakes are good in this industry. Any good SEO expert knows that perfection is unobtainable, but learning from mistakes is the best way forward.

 

Take this arsenal with you the next time you make a sales call and note your objections.

Let me know what SEO objections you receive during your sales visits!