Salespeople continually hear prospects say, “I need some time to think it over.” Typically this occurs after the salesperson has made a proposal for the business. Unfortunately, this seems to be the standard response when people want to get rid of the salesperson without going through the hassle of saying “no” and then being pressured into changing their minds. 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 “think it overs” are simply slow “no’s” 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. (See Core Competency #53.) 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.”
“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” (See Core Competency #48) 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 giving you any business? 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 and either move forward or close the file.