Dealing with the "I'm Happy With My Current Vendor" Objection

Hearing the objection "I'm happy with my current vendor" from a prospective customer is a wonderful thing!

Why? There are two reasons for a customer to tell you "I'm happy with my current vendor", and both are good. The first reason is that bad sales people out there have trained him to use "I'm happy with my current vendor" because is it gets rid of bad sales people. If this is the case, the objection is an auto response and we can handle it. We simply have to show him that we are not a bad salesperson, instead we are a vendor who has his best interests at heart.

The second reason that you hear this objection is that your potential customer is genuinely happy. This is even better. If he is happy and you earn a peace of his business and keep performing, he will be happy with you. Switching vendors is terribly scary, especially if you are selling something that is essential to the core of his business. If a customer changes vendors at the drop of a hat because someone offers them a lower price, then we don't want them as a customer. Someone can always beat you on price.

Here is how we handle, "I am happy with my current vendor"

"Mr. Customer I am happy you are happy with your current vendor. It speaks of loyalty. I am not calling on you to ask you to drop your current vendor. I know how scary this can be. I simply want to earn a shot at a part of your business. I am the sole provider for sales training for a number of companies. And, every now and then, they test another trainer, as they should, to see if there is something better out there. From my experience, helping new sales reps get over call reluctance is a challenge for most organizations. How much of a problem is that for you?"

If your potential customer says: "I said I was happy with my current vendor, good day, click", then too bad.

If your current customer says something like, "It is a problem, many of my reps just never get over the hump, and unfortunately, many of them are great at customer service," then you are in.

Here is how you move forward. "I would like to offer a free webinar to a few of your new reps to help them reduce call reluctance as well as a few folks who have been there a while and are struggling to hit their numbers. If I can't improve their eage
ess to get out there and make calls then I don't deserve a part of your business. How many folks would you like in the class, and what would be the best day to schedule it? This segment lasts about forty-five minutes."

"Tuesday at 8:15 is usually when we conduct training."
"What about Tuesday after next at 8:15?"

"I don't think that would work. I'll be traveling. What about the Tuesday after that?"

"I will schedule the webinar for Tuesday the 7th of June at 8:15 your time. And do I send the email with log on and handouts to Jack Smith at ABC Financial Planners?"

"You got it."

"Excellent. Before I go I want to ask you how your are going to track the training's effectiveness. Many sales reps come back from training all fired up and nothing happens. My suggestion would be to simply track call count before and after the webinar. Also track closing ratio, because an improvement in call eage
ess means more confidence and this helps transfer enthusiasm and this leads to more sales."

"That's what I was planning on doing" is your typical response to this.

I know more is involved in dealing with "I'm happy with my current vendor", than what you see above. I also know that these tools will help you on your way. Action items.
1. Remember, hearing "I'm happy with my current vendor" objection is a good thing.
2. Make it painless and not scary for the customer to give you a try.
3. Don't try to take all their business at first. Take it piece by piece.
Happy selling!