by isaac, selling construction
(sherman oaks ca)
when customer says I need to think about it..or I am meeting another one tomorrow or I want to take three estimates or I never closing any deals at the moment I need to sleep overnight...please help me
Comment
Hi Isaac,
it is not easy when a customer chooses not to place the order when you think everything is OK.
If you try to persuade them too hard you run the risk of appearing pushy and could jeopardise the sale.
There could be a number of things going on for this person
They could have a tendency to procrastinate
Their decision strategy could require them to compare your offer to a few others
They could be someone who needs time to process information before they accept it as the truth
They could doubt either their worth as deserving of the goods or the value of your offer. (the deserving bit sound unlikely in your case)
Building value in what you offer will help in three of the above scenarios. Maybe there is just something you are not covering during your discussions with them? Are you asking a lot of questions or do you tend to talk more than you ask?
There is a specific technique that helps with the people who need time to process information that I can't go into here. But I do go into it in "7 Steps to Responsive Customers". (page 28)
In terms of this buying behaviour think about yourself. How many times do you see something you'd like to buy but then hesitate?
Why do you hesitate? What do you say to yourself? Things like, "Can I really afford that?", "What if my daughter has to get braces for her teeth?", "I can do without it, maybe I'm being frivolous?"
I know if my wife is with me she'll say, "Don't be silly, just buy it."
So, how do you do that for your customer?
Firstly, you could start by asking, "What exactly do you want to think about?" If they can't come up with an answer start offering suggestions, "is it the price or the terms or the warranty or the.."
They need to talk it over with someone, may as well be you, it doesn't have to be their wife or co-worker.
As long as you leave the door open to sell to them again tomorrow. If after your probing they still want to wait or get other quotes you need to agree with them when to talk again. And confirm that they will not place an order before you talk again, that uses the principle of commitment and consistency that Cialdini writes about.
Hope this helps, Greg