“I Need to Think It Over”
Salespeople continually hear prospects say, “I need some time to think it over.” Typically this occurs after the salesperson has made a proposal and is looking for the prospect to make a decision. It’s as if any closing attempt automatically triggers this response from the prospect even if he feels predisposed toward buying. Unfortunately, it also seems to be the standard response when prospects have decided not to buy but don’t want to hassle with the salesperson’s attempt to turn the “no” into a “yes.” Despite the fact that this statement is often misleading, the prospect knows it is effective because most salespeople will simply accept the “think if over” and agree to call back in a few days.
All too often a “think it over” is simply slow “no” with a free torture treatment. This puts the salesperson in “chase” mode, requiring frequent follow up that typically results in a “no” anyway.
If you’re going to get a “no,” it’s best to get it early and move on.
You can avoid 75% of these scenarios if you have a good Closing Plan with your prospects. However, if you neglected to do a Closing Plan and you hear this stall, here’s how to proceed.
You need to blast through the BS and determine the prospect’s real meaning when he says he needs to “think it over.” Here’s one way to do it.
“Mr. Prospect, often when someone tells me they need to ‘think it over,’ I find that they’re just trying to be polite, instead of giving me the bad news that they don’t think we’re a good business fit. Is that the case here? I’d rather hear ‘no’ now than spend a lot of time being a pest and chasing you around.”
The idea is to give the prospect an “Easy Exit” as opposed to pushing harder for a decision. You’ll find that by making it safe for prospects to tell you “no,” they’ll open up and be more truthful.
If, in fact, you determine that there is a valid reason for the delay (and there sometimes is), ask the prospect to commit to a clear next step regarding when is a reasonable time to reconnect and specifically what will happen at that time.
Don’t be afraid to hear “no.” It’s not the end of the world. In fact, hearing it at the early stages of the sales process can save you a lot of time.
Self-Study Assignment: How many times have you heard, “I want to think it over” from prospects who probably had no intention of doing business with you? How much time did you waste chasing them around when you could have been doing something more productive? Learn the above script so that you can get the prospect off the middle of the fence so you can either move forward or close the file.
