"I need to THINK about it..."

If you are in sales, there is no doubt you have heard these words before. It is amazing to me how many YouTube videos there are on how to handle this from experts who sell cars, real estate, insurance, etc. and how most salespeople respond with "What do you need to think about?" Ouch. That question alienates a lot of people. If you have gone for the close and heard these words, you probably made a mistake very early on that caused this.

First, these words are used as a defense mechanism. They are masking the fact that they are not sold on what you are selling. When you go even deeper on this, there might even be a need for them to contact their "personal advisor" who can offer their criticism on the recommended purchase. By the way, in the event THAT happens, the personal advisor will always say no.

Every great sales process begins with a "Discovery" process. This is a time for learning about the needs of the prospect and about their social styles. This combination helps with the art AND science of sales. The discovery process must be thorough, and it is equally important to watch HOW they answer the questions. If you spot someone who is equally inquisitive as you are and appears to be incredibly social, there is a strong possibility they DO have a "personal advisor" they trust for big decisions and that person should be identified and invited into the sales process from the beginning. On the opposite side of the spectrum you could find a prospect who wants to hurry the discussion along and who generally already has formed an opinion about the deal even if you are still early in the discovery process. Remaining on topic, delivering factual evidence and identifying how this decision could dramatically improve their lives are generally the best points to make along the way. There are other possible social styles that require carefully crafted language that can motivate and inspire action once the entire process is complete. I'm happy to engage in that conversation and address those additional styles if you are interested.

Identifying what is flawed with their current state (the only reason they are meeting with you), is important but must not appear personal. Keep the diagnosis objective and separated from the folks who made the decision to go that route.

Creating a better outcome is often more of a negotiation than just delivering a pre-packaged product. The negotiation has to occur from a place of tactical empathy and should leave them satisfied that your recommendations come from a place of deep understanding. If you do this correctly, you will avoid all objections including the popular, "Let me think about it."

Last - and this is very important - set a regularly scheduled series of reviews after the sale to monitor how successful things are. This engages the law of reciprocity (by delivering an experience that goes above and beyond the basic elements of a traditional sale, the buyer will feel the need to repay the seller in some special way). This will lead to repeat business and referrals to new prospects!

What are your thoughts on this topic?