One of the disadvantages of business-to-business direct mail lead generation letters is that you are selling on paper, not in person. That means you are unable to read your prospect's body language. Unable to hear and respond to his objections.

And yet one of the advantages of sales letters is that you are selling on paper, not in person. Face to face, a prospect can interrupt you and change the subject. But on paper, you control the sales pitch. As long as your prospective customer keeps reading, you control the sales process.

Another advantage of sales letters is that you can anticipate objections and answer them in the body of the letter. You can even start your letter with a common objection, and answer it square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you can overcome them in your B2B direct mail lead generation letters.

"WE DON'T WANT IT"
Overcome this objection by presenting benefits that your reader may have overlooked, or may never have considered. Assume that your prospect understands the benefits of your product or service only in a general way.

Example: "We reduce your downtime because we ship your replacement transformer in under three hours, guaranteed. We lead the industry in in-stock, emergency transformer replacements."

"YOU ARE TOO EXPENSIVE"
Overcome this objection by describing the quick return on investment that your prospect will enjoy (assuming there is one). Or show how buying a competitor's product is actually more expensive once total cost of ownership is calculated.

Example: "Yes, you will save money in the short term by buying a Blodux 5236. But our Nadag 7876 lasts longer--two years longer. Which means you will pay $125 less per month for the life of our machine compared with its closest competitor."

"WE ALREADY HAVE A SUPPLIER"
Overcome this objection not by bad-mouthing your competitor but by stressing benefits that your competitor does not or cannot offer. Or show how your competitor isn't really a competitor because your company concentrates only on selling the product in question, while your competitor sells a great deal more, making them a generalist but you a specialist.

Example: "Your current supplier certainly has a well-earned reputation in our industry for a quality product. But my firm delivers a comparable product backed by better after-sales service. We offer you the personal, customized service that larger firms cannot match."

If you are crafting a sales letter and don't know the common objections that prospects raise, talk to your sales force. They are the best source for understanding how to turn a no into a yes.

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© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
About the Author

Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.

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