Your Newspapers Don't Work/Are too Expensive/The Other Paper's Cheaper
For most advertisers, these are the same thing, since if a newspaper didn't provide them with a response, then the cost would be high. It's funny, those advertisers who get a huge response from a newspaper rarely hesitate running and happily pay whatever the rates are. You could talk about "you get what you pay for" if the paper he's comparing it to is a more down scale or smaller circulated publication.

But I'd suggest trying to find out what he did last time and seeing if you can come up with a strategy that is better. Always be sensitive to the fact that the advertiser might have made up the previous ad and really likes it, blaming your newspaper instead. Rarely, by the way, is it ever the newspapers fault. It's almost always the ad, whether it was too small, or not the right elements in the ad, or the product or services aren't competitive. But don't tell him that. Just bring back another spec ad once you got some information.

By the way, your newspaper is a great testimonial. In cases like these I've held the paper up many times and said look, see all these advertisers? If this paper wasn't making them a whole lot more than they were spending with us, then they wouldn't be advertising. Yet they're in here consistently, week after week.

What's the Deal and How Much is it?
Many businesses will try to short circuit your sales process by trying to get you to simply tell them about what you're selling and how much it is. Don't fall for it.

Instead, tell them, "well, I'm not sure what the deal is because I'm not sure where or even if you should be running in our newspapers and other products we publish. Maybe you can tell me a little about your business first." This way, you can make a stronger recommendation than other salespeople who took the bait because you took the time to know what the account needed first.