Any advice for when people say they need to think about it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by susana

My persoanl integrity was always more important to me than 'going all out to get a sale'.
Short skirts will only get you so far. Eventually, you better have something meaningful to say to the customer.

Susan

I think most are in agreement with you about personal integrity. I myself have never worn a`skirt that was not long enough to cover my knees. lol The question your statement brings to mind though is how short of a metaphorical skirt is too short? We have all had different upbringings and life experiences that make different metaphorical short skirts acceptable. One person living on the east coast and who have been raised Amish would certainty where a longer skirt than a girl who grew up in sunny southern California near the beach. Now what gives us the right to say what is right and what is wrong? Is it the customer that person is talking to? The location? The Industry? Or maybe the only person who can judge us is ourselves and as long as we can look at ourselves in the mirror and feel happy with who you are is all that really matters. I'm sure most teenage girls have worn a skirt that their fathers or even grandmothers did not approve of but just because someone else does not approve does not make that person have any more or less integrity than the next person.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquesWerth

I am not asking you to "buy this statement." It is a statement of fact whether you buy it or not. If you are implying that we fixed the survey to get the results we wanted, you don’t know who you are talking about.

My company conducted a group verbal questionnaire with every new student who attended our sales training workshops for over one year. Three of our senior certified trainers asked the questions of the groups they were training, as the first exercise of the workshop.

The purposes to the survey was
A. For us to learn the percentage of salespeople who practiced Total Disclosure vs. Half-Truths.

B. For them to realize that:
1. Emphasizing Benefits without mentioning detriments obscures the truth.
2. Persuasion, Convincing and Manipulating almost always prevents Total Disclosure.
3. Overcoming Objections by restating, reframing and minimizing is a form of Rhetoric.
4. Asking Rhetorical Questions is inherently manipulative and insincere.
5. Exaggeration and Puffery are a quasi-legal form of lying.
6. Telling the Truth while withholding any pertinent negative information is deceitful.
7. "Half-Truth" is another word for “lie.”

We asked thirty-seven questions about how each of them sold prior to taking our course. At the end of the survey, we asked them, “Based on what you have already been disclosed, what will you do to make a sale.” Ninety-seven percent said, “What ever it takes.”

Read or print out the first 4 chapters of our book free, at our website: http://www.highprobsell.com

Count me among the 3 percent. It would be interesting to see a copy of the 37 questions posed from that survey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorel

I think most are in agreement with you about personal integrity. I myself have never worn a`skirt that was not long enough to cover my knees. lol The question your statement brings to mind though is how short of a metaphorical skirt is too short?

Jorel,

I can only answer for myself. Anything above the knee is too short.

I had this exact conversation 2 weeks ago with a female sales manager who sells high end fractional real estate. She wanted to know how I dressed when I was selling high end products. Apparently, the wives are giving some of her female sales people a hostile attitude.
I told her, blue, black, brown and grey suits with nothing above the knee.

Susan

In response to the original question...

I was taught to agree, "I understand you want to think about this. I would too. It's definitely a big decision."

Then ask the question, "Does a week to think about it sound good to you?" Use any appropriate length of time. This lets your customer know you are really giving them the opportunity to do what they want; think about it. And by giving the thinking process a finite time, you prevent it from becoming an end to your sales process and it becomes more of a step along the way.

Then recap with your customer the main factors that will influence the sale; the house and how it fits their needs and wants, the way they were treated by you, the professionalism of the company, and finally the financial aspects of the deal.

"So, how do you feel about the house as it pertains to what you are looking for?"
"Have I been helpful so far?"
"Is there any more information I could help you with?"
"What do you think about the overall price compared to your opinion of the house?"
"Do you think that financing or buying this property fits into the budget you have set for yourself?"

A lot of times, their 'think about it' objection is a stall that is masking a real objection. Using that process will most likely uncover what is bugging them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesrobertstclair

In response to the original question...

I was taught to agree, "I understand you want to think about this. I would too. It's definitely a big decision."

Yes James! It is so GREAT to hear someone speak up for VALIDATING the prospect! Few average or low-performing salespeople validate (especially prospect objections), but most top-performers do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesrobertstclair

A lot of times, their 'think about it' objection is a stall that is masking a real objection. Using that process will most likely uncover what is bugging them.

Yes! You're right, it is often a stall.

And it's also often an automatic response without any real meaning behind it. It's just something that prospects have learned to say.

It's kind of like "have a nice day." How many people really mean "have a nice day" when they say "have a nice day?" It's just an automatic response we've learned to mutter throughout our day-to-day lives, just like "I need to think about it".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip Anderson

Yes James! It is so GREAT to hear someone speak up for VALIDATING the prospect! Few average or low-performing salespeople validate (especially prospect objections), but most top-performers do.

Yes! You're right, it is often a stall.

And it's also often an automatic response without any real meaning behind it. It's just something that prospects have learned to say.

It's kind of like "have a nice day." How many people really mean "have a nice day" when they say "have a nice day?" It's just an automatic response we've learned to mutter throughout our day-to-day lives, just like "I need to think about it".

Unless of course one subscribes to mr. werth's rather odd theories wherein I'm not allowed to respond to a customer's objections.

Odd that, often after answering several questions for my customers, some of which mr. werth would term "objections" they have found that the tool I was suggesting to them was precisely what they needed.

Mr. Werth, I would say that I respectfully disagree, but after a year or so here reading your cockamaimie ideas I have little or no respect for you.

There are no low probablity prospects, only low probablity sales people.

Pat

	#34
jamesrobertstclair	In response to the original question... I was taught to agree, "I understand you want to think about this. I would too. It's definitely a big decision." Then ask the question, "Does a week to think about it sound good to you?" Use any appropriate length of time. This lets your customer know you are really giving them the opportunity to do what they want; think about it. And by giving the thinking process a finite time, you prevent it from becoming an end to your sales process and it becomes more of a step along the way. Then recap with your customer the main factors that will influence the sale; the house and how it fits their needs and wants, the way they were treated by you, the professionalism of the company, and finally the financial aspects of the deal. "So, how do you feel about the house as it pertains to what you are looking for?" "Have I been helpful so far?" "Is there any more information I could help you with?" "What do you think about the overall price compared to your opinion of the house?" "Do you think that financing or buying this property fits into the budget you have set for yourself?" A lot of times, their 'think about it' objection is a stall that is masking a real objection. Using that process will most likely uncover what is bugging them.

Any advice for when people say they need to think about it?

Sales Resistance/ Negotiation