I'm not interested.

Please post your response(s) to: "I'm not interested." -Jeff Blackwell

Do you mean you're not interested right now or forever? When should I call back? -Agent Smith

Which part of this solution are you not interested in... increased profits, reduced costs, improved productivity, or all of the above? -Liberty

I'm not interested is what I call a yellow light objection. Because it has no sense of direction you must use a question to probe and find out more information that will help guide you toward overcoming/answering it.

Your prospect could be saying...

I'm not interested because I can't afford it.

Thus, calling for an affordability response from you.

< or he/she could be saying >

I'm just not interested right now.

Thus, calling for a timing rebuttal from the sales person to close the sale today rather than turning the presentation into a callback...contracts are much better than callbacks! ;)

I always ask something like...

I can appreciate that and understand why some folks are not interested at this stage, do mind telling me why you fell that way?

Once I get a reply with the true objection, I kbnow how to proceed towards a sale. -tinman

Aren't there things you're not interested in but never knew that can benefit you? How many times in your lifetime have you ever told yourself, "I should have learned that years ago."? -guamie

Clarify: "Sometimes people don't like a specific element of this program. Which element doesn't appeal to you?" -Gilbert

I understand that you feel that way, a lot of my clients have felt the same way. But once they evaluated our locking bedside carts they found that their nurses were much more productive and happy because they had the medical supplies at their fingertips instead of having to run up and down the halls.

Also, I throw out things like this if I feel I am getting this as a complete blow off line. Often they will come back with how can you save me money, why is it safer, can I get it for free (they can't) but if they could use the product if it was free then they can pay for it. Hospitals have money.

You aren't interested in saving money?

If I gave you this product for free you wouldn't be interested?

You aren't interested in providing a safer product for your employees?

If they say they aren't interested in any of the above then I am not speaking to the real decision maker.

Good Selling!

Sell4alivn -Sell4alivn

I've seen all of the above approaches to "I'm not interested" work well for some people because people have different personalities and ways about themselves that are uniquely suited to what they do and how they respond.

I am of the, "Okay" and move on behavior and that works well for me. It might not for everyone but I take a NO or NOT INTERESTED as a quick exit and decision to take a hike to find the next person who says ME. I WANT THAT!

The best of the best to everyone.

MitchM -MitchM

Really? (long pause).......why do you feel that way???

A great selling tool is to eliminate "think" from your vocabulary and replace it with "feel." So instead of saying "what do you think about ____? Always use " how do you feel about _____?

TimePro -TimePro

Before answering this question, think about your own reply when someone tries to sell you something you truly don't want. Is it, "I'm not interested"?? Mine is. -dbarnhart

I get the feeling that you are not interested because you feel I am trying to sell you something you don't think you need. Is that correct?

Yes - you did not do a good enough job of uncovering their needs.

No - You will probably uncover their real objection and can explore it from there. -jdedwa11

when someone is saying they are not interested....this is usually in a cold call scenario.....

the number one reason they are saying they are not interested is because they think that you are trying to sell them something ...which you are.... however when they say "NOT INTERESTED" if instead of saying "What part are not interested in?" and getting the phone hung up..... just say something totally opposite of whats expected... instead of trying to justify and defend....agree and give in.....you know like in judo..... where you pull when they enemy punches..... and no, i dont mean the customers an enemy....

You say "Oh, youre not interested... ok ...well I understand... pause....look confused and say ..... in that case, you know actually I just get credit for giving you this silly little presentation...and honestly, i dont care if you even pay attention, I just get one more of these before the end of the evening...just make it real quick... cuz i got to get home shortly myself"


See what you do here is STOP TRYING TO SELL.... just try to sell the idea that you just need to do one more presentation, tour, demo, estimate ...so you can get some extra points towards some contest youre trying to win... or goal youre trying to make...

in fact you may downplay your product... like as if you dont care about it much right now either...in other words you sympathize with your prospects reluctance... you can say "silly little demo" or "real quick little tour"

This is how you get past not interested.....
dont worry about trying to change their mind.... pretend as if you totally understand...youre not interested either....and in that case.....as if the circumstances are unique.... Ill just make it an extra short tour...

use the customers objection as the reason why your only gonna do what youre gonna do..... in other words.... the customer says he dont have time, you say " oh in that case, ill just do a quick demo for you so youll at least have a little info before i leave"

as if youre gonna do some "normal demo" that usally takes longer.....because youre taking into consideration their objection....and you seem to be accomidating it...

remember...never try to sell youre product until youve sold the presentation of the product.... baby steps... people dont buy products at doorsteps.... they buy them at kitchen table....

a car seeker wont buy the care while out test driving it.... they will make that final decision at the table with the numbers....but to get to that point... I may have to pretend in a sense that Im not trying hard to sell... in fact... to even get that demo.... i may have to act is if im not trying to sell anything at all... however.... you must some descent reason to still need the presentation such as a little contest or a personal demo goal or whatever it may be.... youd be surprised at how much people want to help you when you sound like you havea personal goal of being number one for instance.... and it lays the ground work for being able to make that extra offer and perform that one more close that may get you that deal.... -planrecruiter

This is my first contribution so please bear with me.
Here for consideration are some ideas that I've found useful in my own sales experience, but before I get into them please understand that a complete answer would require more specifics & a whole chapter, but sales is like a chess game and it's all about positioning & timing.
Consider ... when did the salesperson first become aware of the prospects 'not interested" mindset.
If while closing the sale it's a virtual lost cause and there's no choice other than the desperate and potentially aggressive "which part don't you like" & other last gasp questions to try to resurrect a sale on life support.
However this can be avoided when salespeople learn the importance of an effective discovery process, and that means more than simply exposing needs, problems and objectives. They must also reveal the prospects mindset and attitude.
The final objection usually exists in the mind of the prospect before you say "Hello I'm Tony, thanks for giving me your valuable time today"
He or she has a pre-planned defense strategy and usually can't wait to tell you what it is, provided you give him/her the opportunity to do so. (Here we could discuss personality types, but) ... the key is to reveal and take care of the "attitude", (not yet an objection) early. In other words you are preempting the objection before it becomes a major issue.
The process of preempting objections begins with discovery. Ask questions to reveal things like ...
• What previous experience have they had with the product, company, or industry.
• Have they previously considered buying the product.
• What understanding or knowledge do they have of the product.
As a salesperson we must be perceptive to body nuances and voice tones to the point where if you feel negativity you should address it by smiling and saying something like "I get the feeling that you're previous experience with ...... has been less than happy for you Mr Prospect ... where did it fall apart? ... " (In sales it's not entirely about what you say, it's about how you say it)
Sometimes it's necessary to take the prospect/salesperson relationship to the edge and ask the hard questions early to clear the air. Reveal and (usually) preempt the final objection early and you'll experience the exhilaration of a far more open, interactive, non argumentative and effective sales career. -Tony1905

I'll do more than "bear with you." Your post is one of the finest and most valuable "contributions" I have ever seen on this forum.

You have it RIGHT, Tony. -Ace Coldiron

I think if you get "not interested" at the end of your presentation you did a poor job of finding out what the prospect wants and showing how your product or service is the best solution for that specific want. -Seth

As you gain experience in whatever your particular market happens to be, you discover that the reasons for 'not being interested' narrow down often (not always-depends on the product) to only one or two points.

With cars for example it was nearly always either 'they didn't like the car' or it was financial, not sure it's a good deal, want to shop around etc.

Once you know what the two commonest reasons are for your industry then here's a great little process . . . . and it works with many different products.

-----------------------------------------------------------
(Say this v e r y s l o w l y)

Ok fine . . . no problem.
In my experience of selling (whatever) whenever someone has taken the time to give the (whatever) some serious consideration, as you have today, and then gone on to say that they're not interested....d'y'know......it's always been for one of two reasons . . . . . .

Either they didn't like the (whatever) . . . . or it was something to do with the money (nodding - they nod too - spooky)

Would you mind if I ask you a very personal question . . . . . . . .

Is it the money?

Most times they start to tell the real reason and from there on things are pretty straightforward.

Once you hook into the two reasons for your own industry and commit them to memory you can use this technique.

Example of other two reasons for different industries are:

Training
Not sure they'd get the result or Too big a financial commitment
or.......is it the financial commitment?

Real Estate
Don't like the house or don't like the neighbourhood
or........is it the neighbourhood?

and so on....

Note. I'm assuming that you've made friends with the customers. If you haven't then something is terribly wrong with your process and you probably get a lot of 'not interested', 'want to think about it'

P.S. Occasionally (not usually if you've made friends) they say actually it's neither of those two reasons...........
You just smile.....and raise your eyebrows.

Listen closely to them now becasue they are just about to teach you a lot about your product or service and give you a genuine insight that will help you enormously, not just to close this sale, but for the future too. -helisell

I am so grateful to hear that someone more practiced than I am feels this way. I was wondering if I was just afraid of challenging myself! Sometimes I think there are so many others to call - why not move on?! -TeresaAnn

Sell4alivn has it right. I am happy to see that the old Feel, Felt, Found is still being used. It has to be the most effective method of overcoming any objection. It can be flexed to such a point that it almost is a sales method all by itself.

I might add here that there are only four reasons for a client not to buy. No Need, No Time, No Money, or No Hurry. Any objection will fall under one of these reasons, so assuming you know they have a need, having reached that knowledge in the interview / investigation stage, " and assuming you uncovered that money and time were also not an issue in the interview / investigation stage, then “I am not interested” has to be a matter of something to do with “no hurry.” “No Hurry” is a perfect objection to solve with Feel, Felt, Found. -Write4Me

"When you say that you're not interested Jeff, how do you mean exactly?" -MrCharisma

"I'm not interested" are words commonly used by a prospect or suspect in three different scenarios:

• To fend off intrusion, such as in a "cold call."
• To interrupt the sales interview in an attempt to cut it short (end it).
• To reject the offer and discourage further discussion.

Those are not the same, have different intent, and would require different responses. But a response is not a cure for whatever happened, or exists, to cause those words to come from a prospect's mouth.

Treat the cause. In doing so you will hear far less "I'm not interested"s -Ace Coldiron

Before anyone asks what I mean by "the cause", I'm referring to Lack of Engagement with the prospect. Engage a person, and you will not be cut short with automatic rejection impulses. -Ace Coldiron

I find that MY potential clients say they arent interested simply because they are tired of 6 OTHER reps from other companies calling them every week.

Im in the IT industry and we have software, hardware and services.
They can get these from a titanic amount of other places and 95% of the time (or more) they are perfectly happy with their current vendor. :un -Gil Gunderson

Most of the time if I try many of the things listed here and the customer is still not interested, I will ask if it's ok to send some free information on the product or service, like a brochure, flyer or catalogue if I think they might potentially buy. Or you can direct them to a website. You never know when that "not interested" person will become interested.

It costs me a stamp and a printed piece, but sometimes that can be very effective. -Thufir

Very rarely do I hear I am not interested in the b2c arena. Normally I am at their home due to a request from the client to fix or replace a defective product that is giving them trouble. I used to hear I am not interested when I started to speak on additional items or add on sales. I have learned how to by-pass I am not interested with a question and a statement prior to the presentation of additional items. This question gives permission to continue and express why these items should be addressed and make them a thing of the past. It also informs the client I am there to help and save time and money in the future.

The simple question is.; How do you feel about preventive maintenance that in all likelihood will extend the life of your equipment and lessen the likelihood of product failure? I then have the client inform me how much he or she loves the idea of preventive maintenance.
-rich34232

Agree, Ace! However, I might be more inclined to say "will be less likely to be cut short" than "will not be cut short." ;sm

Skip -Skip Anderson

Just wanted to share my .02 when I get a response like, "I'm not interested".

That's fine, I understand. Can I ask you a quick question?

I like to get a few yes before I start investigating. I then ask about how they feel about our company, product, service and offer. If there are any uncertainties, I then provide them answers with full confidence. -Polysquared

Speaking is the physical effect of a prior abstract cause.

Of the many factors that separate seasoned sales people from others is how to view objections, prepare for them, prevent them from occurring and realizing they are not personal. If sales people were stopped with the first "no," nothing would be sold.

For me, I sold more when initially confronted with an objection than beginning with a yes that later turned to a "no."

Prospects must begin with irrational objections for self-preserving issues for example saying "I'm not interested."

Here are a few positive objections in the form of "I'm not interested:"

You haven't told me enough to be interested.

I'm stalling--I am qualifying YOU. Are you worthy of my time and money?

Right now I do not feel deserving. Can you help me out?

I'm stalling making a decision. I have difficulty making decisions please help me.

Talk to me. I'm no fool and in need of convincing.

I hear your promises but can you produce the results?

I don't want to hear about your company, I want to hear about you.

Convince me you will be around when things go bad.

Sales is a very human event. They are not just the business persona you see in the moment. They have family issues, money issues, job insecurities and fears like us all. Dig behind the language and overcome the deeper objection. -John Voris