Choosing Your Battles

In his presentation “Overcoming Price Objections” at the 2004 Landscape Industry Show, Long Beach, Calif., Jim Kasper included an exercise on differentiating between customers, objections and stalling tactics. “Objections and stalls are treated differently, and you have to know which one you’re dealing with,” he explained.

For instance, stalls are often related to the project’s timeframe or with putting off until tomorrow what could be done today. An example would be, “I’m right in the middle of something – let’s discuss this later.” Customers who take this approach may not be the ultimate decision-maker for the project or may be indifferent to the project altogether. In that case, Kasper says the problem may not be overcome immediately, and contractors should consider moving on to bigger and better things.

On the other hand, customers’ objections to the price or specifics of a proposal often stem from communications problems or concern over the projects’ value compared to its price. Additionally, the customer may not have been paying close attention during the proposal or could simply need some clarification on technical language in order to feel more satisfied with the decision they’re about to make. Saying, “I’ve got two other bids that are cheaper,” is an example of how customers can object to the proposed price of a contractor’s offer. Objections can often be taken care of immediately, making these customers very viable prospects for contractors.

Below are seven statements that contractors often hear when clients’ respond to proposals. See if you can identify which statements are stalls and which are objections. Mark S for stall and O for objection, then see the key below to see how well you did.

1. “I need to check with my partner before I commit.”  ______
2. “What? How much will it cost?”    ______
3. “Why should I use your company?”   ______
4. “I need to recheck your references first.”   ______
5. “I can rebid this portion of the project.”   ______
6. “I’m too busy to decide today. Call me next wee.” ______
7. “You mean that little landscape strip costs $4,000?” ______

1. S; 2. O; 3. O; 4. S; 5. O; 6. S; 7. O

The author is associate editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at lspiers@lawnandlandscape.com.