How to Respond to “My Customers Won't Like It”: 3 Answers
“My customers won't like it.”
The owner speaks for their customers and says they'd hate it. Three ways to test that assumption together instead of arguing with it.
Practice this objectionWhy buyers say it
This objection shows up when your product touches the relationship between an owner and their customers: a booking system, an assistant that answers messages, a client portal for documents. The owner has known these people for years and feels like the guardian of that bond. “They won't like it” often means “I don't want the relationship to change” or “I'm afraid of seeming cold.” Sometimes they're genuinely right. The worst move is implying you know their customers better than they do. The best move is turning their opinion into something you can check with a handful of real customers.
What it often means
- Fear of coming across as less personal or less available
- The owner is the one who doesn't want change, speaking through the customers
- A bad past experience with some automated tool
Three answers that work
You know your customers, I don't. Which ones are you thinking of specifically? For your longtime regulars, you're probably right. For new people who text at ten at night and hear nothing until morning, it might be a different story.
Why it works: You acknowledge their authority, then split the customers into groups. The objection that sounded total usually applies to only a slice.
That's possible, and it'd be a real problem if it were true. There's an easy way to find out: we turn it on for ten customers you pick, for two weeks, and then we ask them. If they say they liked it better before, we switch it off and I've learned something.
Why it works: A small, reversible test judged by the customers themselves takes the risk off the owner. They no longer have to be right, just watch.
I get the worry, nobody wants to feel like a call center. The system doesn't replace you: it takes the request, handles the simple stuff, and hands you the rest with the name and the reason. The customer still talks to you, just without waiting. Does that change how it looks?
Why it works: Often the objection comes from a wrong picture of the product. Describing what actually happens to the end customer dissolves it without a debate.
Avoid this one
Come on, customers today all want things automated, you're the one who's behind.
Why not: You're calling them old and telling them they don't know their own trade. Even if there were some truth in it, the conversation ends right there.
Example dialogue
BuyerMy customers come to me because I answer, not a machine. They wouldn't want that.
YouYou know them best. Which ones are you picturing?
BuyerThe regulars, they've been calling me for twenty years.
YouFor them you're probably right. What about someone who texts you for the first time at night and finds you closed?
BuyerThey wait, or they go somewhere else.
YouSo let's try it only with those: new people writing after hours. The regulars keep calling you. Two weeks, then we look at what happened.
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 if the owner is right and the customers really wouldn't like it?
Then it's better to find out with a small test than with a big sale. Suggest turning it on for a few customers and asking them. If the answer is no, you've avoided an unhappy client and a refund, and you've learned something about your product. Not every objection needs to be overcome.
How do I involve the end customers in the decision?
Have the owner pick a group, ideally a mix of new and regular customers, and let them know they're trying something new. After a week or two, ask for direct feedback together. One real comment from an end customer carries more weight than any argument you could make.
Should I change the product if I hear this a lot?
Maybe, at least in how it presents itself to the end customer. If many owners fear looking cold, work on tone, naming, and the handoff to a real person. A product that keeps the owner visible instead of hiding them runs into far less resistance.