Buckley Advertising | Client Objection Handling

"Our lead volume has dropped, but we're spending the same amount. What's going on?"

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for bringing their concerns to our attention

• Reassure them that we understand the importance of consistent lead flow and their advertising investment

• Reinforce that we're committed to identifying opportunities to strengthen performance

Explain

• Facebook advertising naturally fluctuates, similar to the stock market

• Competition, seasonality, audience response, and creative fatigue can impact performance

• Even with consistent ad spend, CPL may fluctuate, resulting in differences in lead volume

• We want to look at the overall campaign performance before determining what's contributing to the decrease

• Introducing fresh video creatives can give us additional opportunities to test new messaging and audiences

• Depending on campaign performance and the client's goals, increasing ad spend may be another opportunity to explore for additional lead volume

Questions to ask

• "When did you first start noticing this shift in lead volume?"

• "Are you seeing fewer leads overall, or is the bigger concern that fewer leads are converting into appointments?"

• "Have you noticed any changes in the number of new patients coming into the office?"

• "Would your team be open to filming some fresh video content for us to test in the market?"

We could also explore:

• Fresh creatives: "We'd be happy to send over some new video scripts for your team to film so we can test fresh content in the market."

• Increasing ad spend: "Depending on campaign performance, we could also explore whether increasing the budget would help us reach more potential patients."

"The leads we're getting aren't good quality. Half don't answer, and others don't remember filling out a form. What are you going to do?"

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for sharing their feedback

• Validate their concerns and advertising investment

Explain

• Not every lead will be ready to book immediately

• Unanswered calls don't automatically mean poor-quality leads

• Speed to lead and consistent follow-up are important and have been proven by many offices that follow our ‘best practices’

• We want to understand the full picture before identifying the cause

• We don’t expect 100% of the leads to book, just 40-50%.

Questions to ask

• Are leads not answering or are they answering but not interested right now?

• How quickly is the team reaching out?

• Are there common objections you're hearing?

• Can you share a few specific examples?

"We're getting plenty of leads, but hardly anyone is booking an appointment. We're spending money bringing these people in, so why aren't they converting?"

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for bringing this to our attention

• Reinforce that our goal is to turn leads into actual patient opportunities

Explain

• Generating leads is only the first step in the patient journey

• Not every lead will book independently, some need that additional touchpoint from the office

• Speed to lead and consistent follow-up are important

• Team bookings should complement self-bookings and Conversation AI

Questions to ask

• Are leads not answering or are they answering but hesitant to book or not interested?

• How quickly is the team contacting new leads?

• Is the team using the double-call method for every new lead?

• Are there common objections preventing leads from booking?

Don't immediately assume the team isn't following up. Ask questions first, review the data, and position any recommendations as opportunities to support the team and improve conversions.

"I feel like we're sending way too many automated texts and emails to our leads. I'm worried we're annoying people and actually pushing them away. Can we cut back on all these messages?"

Acknowledge

• Validate the client's concern about overwhelming leads

• Reinforce that we want communication to feel helpful, not excessive

Explain

• Automations are designed to keep leads engaged and prevent missed opportunities: this has been proven to work for many other offices

• Leads may not be available or ready to book after their initial inquiry: people may be working, picking up their kids and not see the message

• Consistent follow-up helps keep the practice top of mind and shows excellent customer service

• Automated messages support the team's personal outreach, not replace it. We still need the team to personally call the leads.

• Timing, frequency, and messaging should be evaluated to avoid overwhelming leads

Questions to ask

• Are patients mentioning that they're receiving too many messages?

• Do you know of a specific lead that you could share with us?

• Is your concern the frequency of the automations, wording, or both?

• Are you noticing this complaint in a particular stage of the pipeline?

• Have any leads asked to stop receiving messages?

First, understand the concern and review what's actually being expressed. If messages are excessive, duplicated, or continuing after an opt-out, those issues should be corrected rather than justified.

“I'm thinking about pausing our ads for a little while. We're spending all this money, and I'm not seeing the return I expected. I think we need to take a break and regroup."

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for being open about their concerns

• Reassure them that we understand the importance of their advertising investment

• Reinforce that our goal is to help their practice see a strong return, not simply generate leads

Explain

• Pausing campaigns can interrupt the consistent flow of new patient opportunities

• Restarting campaigns may require time for Meta to stabilize performance

• Before making adjustments, we'd love to evaluate the full patient journey to understand where opportunities may be getting lost

• There may be areas we can strengthen within the existing campaigns and follow-up process before considering a pause

• Our goal is to make sure we're maximizing the opportunities already coming through

Questions to ask

• "Is your biggest concern the number of leads coming through, or are you finding those leads aren't converting into patients?"

• "Have you noticed this shift more recently, or has it been an ongoing concern?"

• "Are there specific areas where you feel we're falling short of your expectations?"

• "What would you ideally like to see improve over the next 30 days?"

• "Would you be open to reviewing the overall performance together before making any decisions?"

Don't immediately try to convince the client to keep spending. Focus on understanding their concerns, identifying opportunities, and showing them that we are committed to finding the best solution for their practice, even if that ultimately means adjusting or pausing their campaigns.

“We're getting leads and appointments, but we haven't converted a single patient into a care plan this month. How can we consider these campaigns successful if we're not actually bringing in paying patients?"

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for bring their concerns to us

• Reassure them that we understand the importance of converting new patient opportunities into care plans

• Reinforce that our goal isn't simply to generate leads and bookings, but to help bring patients into the practice who have the potential to commit to care

• Let them know we'd love to take a closer look at where opportunities may be falling off in the patient journey

Explain

• Lead generation and appointment bookings are important, but they're only part of the overall patient journey

• We want to evaluate the conversion from bookings to Day 1s and ultimately care plan commitments

• Certain ad creatives may generate leads at a lower cost but not necessarily produce the strongest care plan conversions

• We want to prioritize creatives that have historically generated stronger care plan results, rather than focusing solely on CPL

• Patient expectations, offer positioning, and the in-office experience can all influence whether someone moves forward with treatment

• Understanding why patients aren't committing to care will help us identify opportunities to strengthen performance

Questions to Ask

• "Are patients making it into the office and choosing not to move forward, or are we seeing more of a drop-off between bookings and Day 1s?"

• "Are there any common objections your team is hearing during those initial visits?"

• "Are patients expressing concerns around pricing, treatment recommendations, or the overall commitment to care?"

• "Do you feel patients are coming in with a good understanding of the treatment and what to expect?"

• "Have you noticed any changes in the types of patients coming into the office recently?"

Don't immediately place responsibility on the office for low care plan conversions. Focus on understanding the patient journey, reviewing creative performance, and working together to find opportunities for improvement.

"I don't think our current offer is attracting the right people. Can we increase the price or try something completely different?"

Acknowledge

• Thank the client for sharing their concerns and feedback

• Reassure them that we understand the importance of attracting patients who are a good fit for their practice

• Reinforce that we want to make strategic adjustments based on performance rather than changing something that may already be working well

Explain

• The offer plays an important role in encouraging potential patients to take that first step and schedule an appointment

• While a lower introductory offer may generate more interest, our goal is ultimately to attract patients who have the potential to commit to care

• Increasing the offer price may help set different expectations, but it could also impact lead volume and cost per lead

• Before making adjustments, we'd love to review how the current offer is performing throughout the entire patient journey

• We can also explore testing different messaging, creatives, or offer variations rather than immediately replacing the existing offer

• Feedback from the office is valuable in helping us understand whether patients are coming in with the right expectations

Questions to Ask

• "Are you finding that patients are primarily interested in the introductory offer rather than continuing with care?"

• "Have you noticed any common objections when patients are presented with their treatment recommendations?"

• "Is there a particular price point or alternative offer you had in mind?"

• "Are you seeing a good number of patients coming into the office but not moving forward, or is the bigger concern getting those appointments booked?"

• "Have you noticed this becoming more of a concern recently, or has it been consistent throughout the campaign?"

We also want to make sure we're not just looking at which offer brings in the most leads at the lowest cost, but which one is ultimately helping generate stronger Day 1 and care plan conversions.

Another opportunity could be getting some fresh video content.

Don’t offer to change the offer. We can’t assume a higher price means better-quality patients. Don't dismiss the client's feedback about the types of patients coming into the office. Don't focus only on CPL; look at Day 1s and care plan conversions, too. Offer a solution: testing, new creatives, new audience?