Handling “Why should I pay for advertising?”.
This is one of the most common vendor objections. The best response is not to defend the agency. Explain what the marketing is there to do.
This is one of the most common vendor objections.
The best response is not to defend the agency.
Explain what the marketing is there to do.
Start with the purpose.
A simple response is:
“The advertising is there to put your property in front of the buyers most likely to purchase it. My job is to recommend the campaign I believe gives the property the right level of exposure.”
Keep the focus on the property.
Explain what the vendor is paying for.
The marketing budget may cover:
Photography
Floorplan
Property portals
Signboard
Social media
Brochures
Video
Other agreed campaign costs
These are separate from the agent’s commission.
The commission pays for the agency’s sales service.
The marketing budget pays for the campaign used to promote the property.
If the vendor says, “Shouldn’t that come out of your commission?”.
You might say:
“The commission is for the work involved in managing and negotiating the sale. The marketing costs are the separate third-party costs used to promote the property.”
Keep the explanation factual.
Bring it back to buyer exposure.
Another useful response is:
“The question is really whether the campaign gives the property enough exposure to the right buyers. I can show you what I believe is essential and what is optional.”
This moves the discussion away from a simple cost objection.
Show where there is flexibility.
Not every marketing item is essential.
Separate the campaign into:
Core
Items you strongly recommend.
Optional
Items that may add value but can be removed if needed.
This gives the vendor some control without weakening the whole campaign.
If upfront payment is the concern.
Sometimes the objection is not really about the campaign.
It is about paying before the property sells.
You can say:
“If the upfront payment is the main concern, we can also show you the Property.Credit pay-later option for eligible vendors.”
This keeps the marketing recommendation separate from the payment method.
Vendor Conversation Script.
Vendor:
“Why should I have to pay for the advertising?”
Agent:
“Because the advertising is the campaign used to put your property in front of buyers. My job is to recommend what I believe the property needs, explain the cost and show you where there is flexibility.”
Vendor:
“Shouldn’t the agency pay for that?”
Agent:
“The marketing costs are separate from our commission. The commission covers the agency’s sales service. The marketing budget covers the third-party campaign costs such as photography, portals and signboards.”
Vendor:
“I still do not want to spend too much.”
Agent:
“That is fair. Let’s go through the campaign and separate the items I believe are essential from the optional ones.”
Agent Action Plan.
1. Do not become defensive
Stay factual.
2. Explain what the marketing pays for
Keep commission and campaign costs separate.
3. Show the core campaign
Explain what you strongly recommend.
4. Identify optional spend
Give the vendor clear choices.
5. Discuss payment options
Include Property.Credit where suitable.
The strongest response is a clear explanation of what the marketing is there to achieve and why you are recommending it.