Close in on a successful sale by besting this objection with these four strategies.

1. Include the Real Decision-Maker Early On:
Pinpoint who the relevant decision-makers are and try to involve them in the sales process from the outset. To identify the right people, ask your contact about her company’s process for making purchasing decisions. This should include questions about who is specifically involved in a final decision, says sales trainer and author Alan Gordon. You might find out you should be presenting to additional people. If so, ask that the decision-makers be included in early conversations. Point out to your contact that this can streamline things for everyone.

If you involve decision-makers early on, you learn exactly what they want directly from them. This lets you tailor a better solution – and start building a relationship.

2. Understand the Boss’s Priorities:
If your attempts to include decision-makers fall short, then learn as much as you can from your contact about what’s important to whoever has the final signoff, says Gordon. Is price the supreme concern? Is product and imprint quality paramount? Get an accurate understanding of the decision-maker’s priorities so you can address them.

3. Join the Discussion:
When you finish the presentation/sales process with prospects and they announce they have to talk things over with their boss, offer to join them in the meeting or on the call. That way, you can bring your expertise to bear and help guide the boss to a decision that’s in your favor.

“Rather than the contact approaching their boss and saying: ‘I need to buy 1,000 of X,’ you can be there to use your knowledge to explain to the powers that be why this is a smart decision and how you are there to help make each dollar they spend with you worthwhile,” says Nina Shatz, brand development director at HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000).

There are tactful ways to ask to participate in the decision-maker discussion. Danette Gossett, owner of Gossett Marketing (asi/212200), suggests responding with something along the lines of, “I would love to meet your boss and discuss how we can further help on this project and your future plans.” Distributor sales trainer David Blaise, co-founder of Blaise, Drake & Co., likes to say: “I don’t want you to have to do my work for me. Would it make sense for both of us to get together with your boss so I can answer any questions that come up?”

4. Empower Your Contact:
If you can’t get in on the meeting or call, make sure your contact has all the information he needs to impress his boss. If you learned the decision-maker’s concerns up front and addressed them during discussions with your contact, then briefly revisit these points, ensuring your prospect understands them thoroughly. If not, ask your contact about the decision-maker’s priorities and address matters that you may have missed. “Provide the person you’re working with all the information they will need to answer their boss’s questions and show why the investment they want to make with you is a good one,” says Harry Ein, owner of Perfection Promo, an iPromoteU (asi/232119) affiliate.