If your livelihood depends on you closing sales, chances are you’ve heard this more often than you’d care to remember.
You’ve just finished explaining how your product or service will make your prospect’s life better and then she hits you with this:
“Ok sounds great, I just need to think about it.”
For many salespeople, this is the end of the road. Why? Because in response, they usually say something like, ‘Ok, when can I follow up?’
And then they watch a sales opportunity disappear into the “ghosting zone” where the prospect can avoid ever responding.
The first thing to understand is that most of the time this is usually a stalling tactic.
And if you learn how to handle it that way, you’ll have a little inner smile every time you hear it.
Mark this down. A rejection is a no. Your prospect isn’t going to buy.
But an OBJECTION like ‘I need to think it over’ is usually a request for more information or a sign that your prospect isn’t sold – YET.
Start looking at this objection as a signal to start probing to figure out what is really holding your prospect back from going ahead.
Most often, this is a stalling tactic.
In order to have a chance to make a sale, you need to figure out WHY your prospect is attempting to put on the brakes.
Here are 5 ways you can respond when your prospect gives you the ‘I just need to think about it’ stall:
RESPONSE 1: ‘You know Mr. Prospect, usually when someone tells me they have to think things over, they are struggling with a price issue. Is that what you need to think about?’
If the prospect says YES, thank him for sharing that and then explain WHY you price your product or service the way you do. List the value he gets.
EXAMPLE: Say you sell expensive watches. Go into detail about how the watch is built. The testing it undergoes. How the guarantee is far superior to other less expensive watches he could buy.
Then, finish by saying ‘You see Mr. Prospect, we all know you get what you pay for. Can we go ahead with this so you can start enjoying the benefits today?’
RESPONSE 2: ‘I understand you wanting to think it over but help me understand something – what exactly is holding you back from deciding on this today?”
Don’t say anything. Let your prospect respond. His answer will provide you with direction on what to do next.
RESPONSE 3: ‘I understand that you’re not quite ready to make a decision. Out of curiosity, what do you still need to consider? What else would you need to move forward?’
RESPONSE 4: ‘Whenever I tell someone ‘I need to think about it’ it usually comes down to one of three things. The first is I’m comparing different options and want to make sure I get the best deal. The second is that I don’t think it’s the best fit and I want to see what other options exist. And the third is…it costs too much.
‘Tell me, is any one of these holding you back?’
The answer you get should allow you to continue your sales presentation.
RESPONSE 5: ‘I get it. You want to think it over. Let me ask you this: Why would you NOT do this, and why WOULD you go forward?’ Then, be quiet and listen to what your prospect says.
The 5 responses above are all designed to keep the sales conversation going so you have a chance to close the sale.
If you allow your prospect to leave and ‘think it over’ you’ll likely never get the emotional connection back. Or a sale!
Obviously you need to customize the responses to your business but the key is to get past the ‘I just need to think about it’ smokescreen so you can help your prospect see the value in what you offer and why it is a solid investment.
That MUST happen if you want any shot at earning the prospect’s business.
