Beating the ‘I’ve never heard of you’ objection: 5 sales experts share their best strategies

“Your product sounds great, but why should I try a company that isn’t on my radar?”

Objections are a completely normal part of the sales process. We know this, we accept this, and yet they still have the power to derail a sales conversation.

When you’re competing in a saturated industry with well-established leaders, the “I’ve never heard of you” objection can be particularly tough to knock down. We asked five sales professionals their experiences with this objection and their go-to responses to overcome it.

Related: How to beat the 'I have no budget' objection

1. Offer what your competitors can’t

Chad Johnson, VP of Sales & Business Development in the Automotive Industry

When it comes to selling for a small business, self-awareness is your best friend. Chad Johnson, VP and mentor of Sales & Business Development, suggests clearly knowing the strengths and weaknesses faced by your company. Johnson suggests the following rough outlines to help your small business navigate these calls: 

“We are able to customize solutions specifically to your business.  Unlike larger companies that offer Take It or Leave It packages, we are more flexible and able to dial in specifically to your needs.”

“Yes our larger competitors offer similar solutions, however they aren't able to match the level of customer service we provide. We are more available and provide service and solution training on your schedule rather than when we can fit you in like our competitors.”

“Being a smaller company means we don't have the overhead costs of many of our competitors. Where they will charge you for training sessions, or set up fees for their solutions, we won't, and where there are items with fixed costs, we are going to be less expensive as we don't mark up our services as steeply as they might.”

2. Focus on building trust

Martin Lamberti, B2B Sales Coach

Without trust, your sales process would pretty much halt at the first call. Martin Lamberti, a B2B sales coach, says, “Honesty upfront helps to build rapport.” This approach to sales allows for business relationships to emerge from these otherwise one-off calls. Lamberti says:

"In the objection of 'I've never heard of you before,' it's all about trust, right? In any cold call, the prospect doesn't trust the salesperson...So one of the biggest remedies to trust is doing business with a company that's well known, it eliminates risk.

That said, the salesperson could try to get to the bottom of the trust thing. For example, you could say '[You've never heard of us] because we're the new kid on the block and we invest all our money into our clients, rather than marketing. Would you mind sharing with me why you mention that?...So if I understand you correctly, it's about trust, is that correct? I totally understand that...Given that we are new on the block, what else could we do to establish trust?'”

3. The PERTA (Press/Empathize/Respond/ Test/Appointment) Framework and the Endless Chain of Referral

Jack Ducanis, Senior Sales Executive at Wells Fargo

“Every salesperson is their own small business, in a way.”

According to Senior Sales Executive, Jack Ducanis, you’ve got to understand that no matter what you do, objections are coming. It’s just a part of the job. His recommendations for heading off the “I’ve never heard of you objection” are:

• Start the call by introducing yourself and exactly who you’re calling for—being unsure of this dilutes the call and shows you haven’t really done your research
• Explain why they’re a good fit for your company and try to alleviate objections before they’re stated. Most objections start with “why are you calling me?” This is where the endless chain of referral comes into play. The prospect is going to be much more open to hearing your pitch if you’ve been referred through a mutual connection. So, to do this, Ducanis encourages getting testimonial letters, reviews, or survey results to “create your own good news.” In doing so, you convince the prospect that you are worth giving a chance.

If you do encounter an objection, use the PERTA Framework. Ducanis says, “When you’re new, you have to earn all of these to get an appointment.” The steps of the PERTA Framework are...

1. Press for specifics — The more detailed they get in their justification of the objection, the better you can address their concerns
2. Empathize — Understand that this objection is a valid concern to prospective customers who have historically opted for the “tried and true” category leader
3. Respond with appropriate facts — Explain that you’ve done great work and have results to show for it. Give them relevant information about why your company can compete despite your size.
4. Test for a reaction — See if they’re open to your services
5. Set an appointment