Handling "we already have someone"
"We already have someone" is the most qualifying thing a homeowner can say. They buy this category, they have a budget for it, and they have an incumbent with a service history you know nothing about. The useful next move is one question about how that is going, not a comparison you are not yet equipped to make.
This is a qualified household
Everything a cold door has to establish, this one already answered. They understand the category, they have decided it is worth paying for, and they are currently paying. That is further along than most doors ever get.
Reps hear it as a wall because it sounds like a no. It is closer to the opposite.
Ask before you compare
Attacking an incumbent you know nothing about is how reps lose these. The homeowner chose that company and may well like them, so a comparison makes you the person insulting their judgement.
One open question about how the service has been costs nothing and occasionally uncovers a genuine problem. If it does not, you have lost thirty seconds at a door that was never going to convert today.
The long game on these doors
Incumbents change. A household happy with their provider today is a callback for next season rather than a closed door, and it is worth logging that way with a date rather than as a refusal.
Common questions
- Should I try to beat their current price?
- Not before you know what they are paying and what they get. Leading on price against an unknown incumbent is how you end up in a race you cannot see.
- What is the best question to ask?
- An open one about how it has been going. Closed questions get you a defensive yes and end the conversation.
- Is it worth coming back?
- Often, next season. Log it with a date rather than as a no, because the household is qualified and providers change.
More on scripts and objections
Openers, pitches and the objections every rep hears — with the answers that hold up on a doorstep.
- A door-to-door script that does not sound like one
- Openers that survive the first three seconds
- Handling "not interested"
- Handling "I’m busy right now"
- Handling "too expensive" at the door
- Handling "I need to talk to my spouse"
- Handling "send me some information"
- Building rapport in under a minute
- Closing on the doorstep
- Asking for referrals at the door