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

I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

Originally Posted by Lea25 I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

First, yes people (unqualified/ not serious) do spend time "looking" at homes.

The objection "we need to think about it", like almost all objections, can mean many different things. The first thing I would suggest is discovering through questioning what the buyer meant when they voiced that objection.

Originally Posted by Lea25 I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

How have you been responding when they say they need to "think about it"?

In addition to what what Agent Smith and Bossman have said there are some decent responses in the sales script book forum: I want to think about it.

I usually ask them if the property is definately the right one for them which they usually say yes but that they need to work out there figures as it is a big decision. I then ask if they would like some financial advice regarding there figures.If they say no they want to speak with there bank in there country I accept this but do inform them that the property market here moves fast and that the property they like could be sold which has happened to many clients of ours.Is there anything more I can do?

Originally Posted by Lea25 I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

I've never sold real estate, so my comments may not be completely relevant. I know one of the standard questions can be: 'May I ask what you need to think about?'
If you've taken some time with them, they're certainly obligated to answer. It puts the ball in their court. A lot of times people don't want to say 'It's too much money', so they use this kind of lame objection. Start asking some questions, and see if you can drill down to the 'real' objection.

Susan

Originally Posted by Lea25 I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

Actually, a lot of people like to view properties that they will not consider buying or cannot afford. It is said that at least 80% of people that attend open houses are not in the market for real estate.

Salespeople that we train discover what the buying intentions and buying capacity of prospects are, before they spend time with them.

Thanks for the comments. I agree that asking questions like "may I ask what you need to think about" is probably the best way to handle these situations.

Originally Posted by Lea25 I work for an estate agency in Cyprus selling houses for holiday homes or investments but recently seem to be getting a lot of people who need to "think about it".Surely if they were not seriously interested in buying they would not be willing to actually view properties when they could be on the beach? Any tips??

A purchase like a holiday home is a HUGE decision to make and I'd think that people who just say "yeah, sure, we'll take it" right away are maybe the biggest group of those backing out eventually? It's not like buying a small ticket item and people need to shop around before deciding on something that will cost mega tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you choose to waste your time with low probability prospects, you will get all kinds of objections and make very few sales.

Trying to overcome objections seldom does any good. Salespeople that frequently get that kind of objection need to learn a whole lot about qualifying and disqualifying prospects.