The Weirdest Objection I’ve Received

After doing the sales thing for a couple of decades, I’d like to believe I can think on my feet. But every now and then someone throws an objection that locks me up like a 1985 Doc Gooden curve ball.

Tonight brought me one of those. The scene:

I’m on the phone with a recruiter who’s planning a hiring event.  Because of the kind of people he wants to hire, I’ve recommended that he use my big news/talk station, 1190 KEX.

The early objections are easy ones. We deal with them, but we’re not really making progress. I’m trying to figure out what the REAL objection is when he drops the bomb.

Him: Everybody who listens to talk radio is boring.

Me: Boring?

Him: Yes.

Me: Everyone?

Him:  Do you have any popular stations?

What’s the weirdest objection you’ve ever received? Leave a comment below.

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3 thoughts on “The Weirdest Objection I’ve Received”

  1. 1. A client that didn’t want a Wikipedia page because “someone else might add information and we won’t have control.”

    2. A client that didn’t want a website because “no one takes those seriously.”

    3. A retail client that didn’t want crucial and basic information (such as address, hours, phone number, etc) on the main pages of their website because “it will ruin the artistic feel of it.”

    Oy. I could go on and on and on.

    Most the time I find when I dig to the reasons for the objections it simply comes down to fear on behalf of my clients. Fear of the unknown, fear of technology or media they don’t understand. Fear of losing control. Fear of becoming obsolete. All kinds of irrational and emotionally based fears.

    Reply

  2. The weirdest one I got was when I had a $250,000 sale lined up with a large food company for a software system, and the buyer changed his mind because he accidentally “Came Out” while hitting on me.

    That would have been a big commission, but not worth the… um, … work.

    Reply