How to Respond to “Our IT Department Has to Approve It”
“Our IT department has to approve it.”
Your contact wants the product but the decision runs through IT. Three responses to prepare that step together with them instead of waiting for it.
Practice this objectionWhy buyers say it
This is a process objection, not a willingness objection. The person saying it is often sold, but can't sign alone: every new piece of software has to pass whoever controls security, access, and integrations. To someone who built an app by themselves, IT sounds like a wall; really it's a stakeholder with predictable questions. Where does the data live, who can access it, how do we get out, what happens if the vendor disappears. The real risk is leaving your contact alone to defend your product in front of technical people who've never seen it. Your job is to prepare them, give them clear material, and show up if you can.
What it often means
- Your contact doesn't know what IT will ask and dreads the meeting
- A graceful way to delay without saying no
- Concrete questions on data, security, and access you haven't answered yet
Three answers that work
Right, it makes sense that it goes through them. Can I ask what they usually look at? Data, access, integrations? Then I'll put together one page with precise answers, so when you meet them you're not guessing on my behalf.
Why it works: You accept the process and offer to make it easier. Your contact isn't alone, and IT gets written answers instead of secondhand ones.
Perfect. If it helps, I'll talk to them directly: thirty minutes with whoever runs IT, I answer everything, and if there's a real problem we find out now instead of a month from now. Would you introduce me?
Why it works: Asking to speak with IT yourself shortens the loop, avoids secondhand misunderstandings, and shows them you have nothing at all to hide.
Understood. Meanwhile, so nobody wastes time: what happens if IT says yes? Do we start right away, or are there other steps? I'm asking to figure out whether to prepare the rollout now or whether we're still in an evaluation phase.
Why it works: You check whether IT is the last hurdle or the first of many. You avoid investing in an approval that leads nowhere.
Avoid this one
No need, it's all cloud-based, IT doesn't even have to know.
Why not: You're inviting your contact to go around their colleagues. If they do and something breaks, it's on them, and your product gets thrown out.
Example dialogue
BuyerI like it, but our IT department has to approve it, and that takes time.
YouThat's normal. What do they usually look at when they review new software?
BuyerWhere the data ends up, who has access, and whether it integrates with what we've got.
YouThen I'll write you one page with exactly those three answers by [date]. And if you want, I'll talk to them directly, thirty minutes.
BuyerBetter, that way I don't have to translate.
YouGreat. Introduce me by email to whoever runs it and I'll propose two time slots.
Practice this objection
A simulated buyer says it to you out loud (or in writing), you answer, and you get a score plus the model answer. Free, no account, 2 minutes.
FAQ
What should I prepare before talking to an IT department?
One clear page covering: where the data is hosted, how it's protected, who can access it and how, which integrations exist, how everything can be exported if they leave, and what happens if there's an outage or the service shuts down. Write it simply and honestly, including where the answer is “not yet.”
What if I don't have certifications or formal documents?
Say so up front and explain what you concretely do to protect the data. Many IT teams at small and mid-size companies want clear answers, not logos. If they ask for something you don't have, write it down: that's your list of what to build to sell to bigger companies, and you can tell them when you expect to have it.
How long does IT approval usually take?
It depends on the company, anywhere from a few days to months, and nobody can promise you a timeline. What you can do is ask your contact how the process works on their side, who has to say yes and what they need, and set a date to reconnect. Waiting in silence is what slows things down the most.