We're not interested objection

"I believe that there are two options here. The first being the same as Jaques Werth in that you can simply walk away and not waste your time. But I also believe that there is a second option which would be to dig a little further and ask a few questions to determine whether or not this prospect is truly "not interested" or if it they just don't understand what you do or how your product or service may benefit them." -- robhalv1

The first option is best. Then you can always make another call at a later date and make another offer and so on - a NO today may be a YES tomorrow which is why your second option is contrary to your best interest and the best interest of the person who said NO the first time.

Treat people respectfully and when you revisit them their need, want, and willingness to buy may be a YES. Don't dig yourself in a hole - relax and smell the coffee, roses and bacon.

MitchM -MitchM

Quote:
that concept seems to infuriate at least one very verbose poster
What is it about the words "infuriate" and "verbose" that you find insulting?
Note: They were not underlined when I wrote them.
If you want to dispute the accuracy of the statement, first look at the length, repetitiveness and vitriol of his previous posts.

What is the "failure" that you are referred to? Or, is that just your way of getting retribution for the imagined insult. -JacquesWerth

Well said.... I suppose if you are selling a commodity type of product it could be "black or white" or "yes or no". I sell an intangible product to business owners and high level executives and most don't typically understand what my solution provides without a thourough investigation so it is my natural inclination to try and determine their understanding before accepting a "no" or "we're not interested". -robhalv1

LOL.... I guess we continue...

First of all you implied that someone was "infuriated" - I assume because someone had a differing opinion than yours.

Second, the definition of "verbose" is to be wordy or stating more words than neccessary - well, let me just use your recent quote to reply to that:

Disclosure: I underlined the words above -robhalv1

When propsects say they are "not interested," and you probe in hopes of doing something to change their mind, most of them feel disrespected. That reactiion closes their minds to future conversations with you.

Thus, as Mitch indicated, the best strategy is usually to accept their "No," now. That way, they will be willing to hear another prospecting offer from you at a later date, when they might be ready to buy.

If you are in a selling situation where you will never have the opportunitiy to talk to them again, and you have nothing else to do with your time, it might be a good strategy to try to change their mind, now. However, it is better to not be in that kind of selling situation. -JacquesWerth

It is possible to ask questions without making a customer feel disrespected. I am not talking about an all out attack on a prospect but simply an attempt to understand why a prospect is stating that they are not interested. -robhalv1

"If you are in a selling situation where you will never have the opportunitiy to talk to them again, and you have nothing else to do with your time, it might be a good strategy to try to change their mind, now. However, it is better to not be in that kind of selling situation." -- JW

I have been in those situations with one meeting chance only and I have been forceful in applying myself to the immediacy of the situation and making a sale. BUT having put myself in that kind of selling situation many times when I began my business experience, the end result was spinning my wheels over and over again or producing sales which didn't last and I rely on repeat sales.

Changing my stragegy to putting myself in selling situations where I spend time with people who say they want what I'm offering has greatly diminished spinning wheels, increased sales and retention.

So I agree that it's better to not be in that kind of selling situation - it's not a good use of time.

MitchM -MitchM

I don't get it. You want to ask a few questions to "try" and figure out what the reason is that they are "not interested"

Folks, not only is this a waste of your valuable time - but do you understand that this is going against you with your next call with these people?

Do you want to stop trying to figure out why you're not getting paid with the majority of your calls and meetings?

Well stop this nonsense... stop thinking about it. Develop a marketing plan that puts an unlimited amount of super highly qualified prospects in front of your face, learn to close the deal, and you will do a massive amount of business and get paid a massive amount of money for it.

Yes, it is that simple. Anyone who tells you anything different is terribly misinformed. -bluenote

Bluenote, in an earlier post, you wrote (bold is your bold, and caps are your caps, by the way):

"This means that we DO NOT talk to or present people with our products and service who are not ready to business with us TODAY. "

If that works for you, then more power to you. But, I notice that you rated your experience level on your profile as "Intermediate" - there may be some people contributing here who have some additional experience that you do not yet have, and therefore some insight you may not have.

The more complex the product, or more complex the sale, the less likely it is to be able to only talk to people who are ready to do business with you today.

The other factor is that what exactly is "ready"? Does "ready" mean ready to write you a check? Or does it mean ready to negotiate? Or ready to learn more about your product? Or ready to listen to a presentation? Or ready to enter into dialogue with you?

There are few of us who can just be order takers and have the luxury of only meeting with people who are ready to write a check, not because our sales skills are below yours, but because the dynamic of our product or service or industry or operations are different from yours.

And who said that people who don't follow your methodology aren't selling most of their prospects? That's an assumption that you've made that in many cases is simply not true.

Skip Anderson -Skip Anderson

Excellent observation. I haven't reached an 8 figure or better annual salary as of yet, Skip. So yes, this classifies me as an intermediate in the elite professional sales world.

Anyone with a net worth of less than 8 figs, who classifies themselves as advanced, is living a pipe dream.

Wrong.

"Ready" means ready to make the purchase of your product or service today. I'm sorry this is difficult for you to comprehend.

Wonderful. Consider yourself blessed when this occurs.

To think that "order taking" or "laydowns" have anything to do with salesmanship is laughable.

These are called the facts and what it takes to produce real numbers. Again, I'm sorry you can't comprehend where this is coming from. -bluenote

Bluenote, in my earlier post, I granted you that, if you're successful using the "I only sell to people who are ready to write me a check today" philosophy, then more power to you.

Why won't you grant to me that selling in other industries or in different markets might be different from what you say works for you?

Skip Anderson -Skip Anderson

Ready to write the check today doesn't mean a simple transaction, Skip. It means an initial agreement should mutually accepted conditions of satisfaction along with trust be met - that can take some time. BUT the commitment is already met for the consumation of the sale provided the rest falls into place - of course it's not water tight but it's a very high probability close.

I might say sarcastically that even an amateur can see this but I won't - maybe I need to upgrade my professed self image to professional status!

MitchM -MitchM

MitchM, Bluenote was clear in his definition of "ready": ready to write a check today. Period.

Now either you agree with that definition, or you don't. When you say "ready, willing, able to buy", is that your definition of ready? Yes or no.

Thanks.

Skip Anderson -Skip Anderson

YES - of course. That obviously doesn't mean 100% of the time it will be written today or that it will be written.

MitchM -MitchM

Well it's obvious that bluenote and MitchM are convinced that walking away is the best option and that is fair enough. However I am curious as to whether you both are basing your opinion's on a first meeting or a meeting following your complete sales cycle.

In other words, are you basing this on a one-time prospecting event where you walk into a business and are given the objection "we're not interested" or are you basing this on a sales scenario where you have met with a prospect, gone through your complete sales cycle and then told at the end "we're not interested"? -robhalv1

"Well it's obvious that bluenote and MitchM are convinced that walking away is the best option and that is fair enough. However I am curious as to whether you both are basing your opinion's on a first meeting or a meeting following your complete sales cycle." - Rob

Sometimes it's walk away for good and other times it's after repeated calls. -

"In other words, are you basing this on a one-time prospecting event where you walk into a business and are given the objection "we're not interested" or are you basing this on a sales scenario where you have met with a prospect, gone through your complete sales cycle and then told at the end "we're not interested"?" - Rob

It can be a one-time prospecting event. Also, sometimes I am convinced there is a sale pending BUT in the end that person changes his/her mind after what you call the sales cycle.

I do my best to eliminate as many people as possible - disqualify them - so my appointments are fewer but yield is higher. That gives me more time to do the other things I enjoy doing without beating my head on imaginary walls and producing my own stress.

MitchM -MitchM

Without some better understanding of the position in the sales cycle, this thread is meandering.

IF the suspect has been qualified and "not interested" comes up after having been fully qualified ... move on. Ensure that both parties are clear on what's transpired, maintain files and contact but the time, price point, (whatever) simply isn't right. You need to know before you leave ... Columbo close?

IF the suspect has NOT been fully qualified and this comes up, I'd ask, "...just to make it perfectly clear in my mind, what is that you're not interested in: is it the (feature)? is it the price? is it our service capability?" (go until you hit on something).

One of 3 things is happening:
1. you're missing something which you've gone over with the suspect; or,
2. the suspect is missing something which you think has been provided; or,
3. you're getting jerked around;

Mitch's comment is bang on the money ("YES - of course. That obviously doesn't mean 100% of the time it will be written today or that it will be written").

The fact that there are NO guarantees in sales is why IRS & RevCan allow us to write-off expenses against the commission portion of our incomes!

It's good to be assumptive but it's not good to dream on-the-job!

You need to get some closure on where you stand.

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat -OUTSource Sales

Good call WobblyBox.

Well written post Pat. -SpeedRacer

Exactly my point! -robhalv1

"The fact that there are NO guarantees in sales is why IRS & RevCan allow us to write-off expenses against the commission portion of our incomes!" -- Pat

Excellent!!!
MitchM -MitchM

Skip,

You are a consultant/sales trainer in the business to consumer markets correct?

You state your specialties as - Ideal Clients: Companies that have a sales force that sells to consumers (in-home selling, retail selling, showroom sales, investment and insurance, real estate sales, etc.).

Using this as an example, can you name one of those fields that you can not get paid for your products and services "today"?

I have sold a wide range of products and services from small $100 ads in the local newspapers to multi-million dollar contracts for institutional CD investments over the years. In between there have been auto sales, showroom sales, in-home selling, high-end advertising etc...

Getting paid in the same sitting with any of the above clients, is simply not an issue when you're only working with the clients who you should be spending your time with.

In fields that are above what I'm experienced with, the same basic philosophies and principals hold true. Mitch has already given examples of the mutual commitments required. -bluenote

Bluenote, thanks for your question. It's a good question. I have never said that someone cannot get paid today. Anything is possible.

But, your point has been that a salesperson should only spend time with someone who is ready, willing, and able to write a check today. That may be difficult if you sell swimming pools; home additions; jewelry; cars, landscaping, etc. Also in this category of prospects is anybody that needs to know what something costs or what the capability of the seller are, or has custom design work included as part of the selling process.

Is someone going to buy a car without a test drive? Probably not. Therefore, they need a test drive, and may well likely need more than that from the salesperson. Most consumers are not "ready, willing, and able" to buy a car when they walk into a showroom. At that point, it's too early to figure out who is ready to buy a car today. What these prospects are is interested enough to walk into a car dealership or walk onto the lot. They're not ready to give the salesperson a check because they may not (probably don't) even know what they want at that point. Now, if the salesperson works with the prospect and doesn't disqualify them prematurely, the prospect may well buy today.

As I've stated before, I agree with selling to those who are ready, willing, and able to buy. But I also know that, realistically, in many areas of selling, the majority of customers are going to come from outside the group of people who are ready, willing, and able to write a check today. They may become ready as the sales dialogue continues, however.

Skip Anderson -Skip Anderson

Using your examples of swimming pools, home extensions, plans being drawn etc... Having a signed contract and a deposit in your hand at the end of your meeting constitutes getting paid.

I was in automotive sales for quite a while in various capacities - I have sold hundreds of vehicles over the years to folks and families who "never took a test drive" or told me "we had no intentions of buying this car today". There are two sentences that qualify a car buyer when they walk into your showroom. This takes less than 10 seconds, separates the tire kicker from the buyer and preserves your valuable time.

Clearly we are not going to agree with each others sales philosophies Skip. Each have been beaten to death in every shape, style and form all over this forum. In fact, I've received hate mail from the way I express myself here, which I find amusing coming from a spineless anonymous internet user.

So, as the saying goes, we'll have to agree to disagree. -bluenote

What are the two sentences? -Thomas

Jacques, with all due respect, nobody is more repetitive on SalesPractice than you are. Virtually every post is a variation on "sell only to those who want to buy" and "sell only to those who are ready, willing, and able to buy." (or else it's self-promotion of your book or your company).

Skip Anderson -Skip Anderson

You might count the number of times that Skip has posted and the number of times I have posted in this thread. I have not counted, but my guess is that it's at least 2 to 1.

Then, count the number of words that each of us have posted. It's probably more like 10 to 1. -JacquesWerth

Of course they are not interested....It is your job to get them interested, because if you don't someone else will!! Does not matter what you are selling....they are interested!! -rwilfong

Don't know if I responded before, but from experience, I have found the best way to overcome that is to improve your presentation. -Wonderboy

[quote=Training;28220]Hi to all. I'm new here and will drop by occasionally.



You can't believe how that response can impact a prospect. It would place them on the defensive and they quite often then gave him something he could grab onto.

One sequence I know about: (P) Prospect; (S) Salesperson

P: I'm not interested
S: Then why did you invite me here?

P: What do you mean?
S: George, I'm confused. We briefly talked about (product) and you said you've been considering it off and on for months. What changed in the last five days to wipe out your interest?

At that point George has to come up with something. It might be baloney or could be real...but he has to respond.



I would add to that that anything that makes the prospect come up with an answer you DONT WANT is a bad strategy. I personally would spend more time with the set up than the close. -girlclozer

If i ever get any rejection, then i have to eliminate the risks the buyer is concerned with, one by one. -MoneyMaker

Close!Close!Close!

"Mr/Miss.Prospect, what is about moving forward with this product/service that is causing you to hesitate?"

OR

"What's holding you back?"

And so on and so forth. -MattyB

I have a difficult time understanding why this is an objection.First reason if I am in a situation where I am talking with a client I already know there is a need. This should never enter as an objection when there is a need.
Second when cold calling I understand the not interested objection in the beginning.What I provide may not be what they need.Wouldn't I already have qualified them as a buyer if I am calling them. Getting the correct information about the client is king.
If you receive the I am not interested would you then ask how come?or why not? or how do you mean? Are they not interested at the present time, is tomorrow a better time or in a month, end of the year etc. Are they to busy at the moment to discuss the proposal.
If I did receive this objection during the meet and greet or during my proposal I would ask what concerns they had about my proposal or concerns about delivering on my promises or my company's ability to deliver.
Whenever I receive any objections I want to know why and how do they mean.My questions are geared to fact finding. What are the questions and concerns the client needs addressed.
I would not walk out I would go straight forward and find out the reason they are not interested.Then answer those concerns. -rich34232

You knowing the client's need and the client knowing his/her need are two entirely different things.

Regardless of whether "We're not interested.." is an objection or something else, it occurs most often in the very early stage of a sales process. The prospect may or may not give you the opportunity to uncover the need. In any event, you have to know their need, and they have to know their need. That's a big part of what selling is all about. But need is not the only factor that influences a sale. -Ace Coldiron

I couldn't agree with you more Ace. -Skip Anderson

Negative on the client not knowing the need.When I know the need ie pain the client also knows the need.How in the world do I know the need without proper questions to identify the need.I cannot give the client a proper solution without gaining knowledge of the need and what the client wants the product or service to do better.

I never said I am not interested was not an objection. What is implied why would that objection surface. It surfaces when I do not complete my process of qualifying,asking questions, fact finding,providing a solution and presenting the solution.
This objection should never surface if you do your homework and ask your qualifying questions asking your client to take action.
It surfaces when I did not do my homework concerning the company and the needs of the company.When there is not a need why am I there? The perception to take money from them. The I am not interested said get out of here your wasting my time.
I have four qualifying questions that must have an answer they are can the client use it,afford it ,want it, need it.These four have to have an answer before any ownership exchange transfers. -rich34232

I think Mitch has a good point here. Why would I battle with bloody liars who don't even have the ethical backbone to admit they don't understand my stuff, so they say they are not interested? As far as I'm concerned, they can just go and take a running jump at a bulldozer.

Besides, my automated lead generation/lead incubation system should take care of the buyer education bit, so by the time I meet buyers in person, they should be ready and willing to do business with me.

Using fishing language, I want my automated system to hook the fish, reel it in, cook it and ring the bell to call me to dinner. And of course, the system should do the dishes after dinner and maybe even serve the wine.

I may use this energy-saving approach because, as everyone knows on this forum, I suck at selling, but I find this method a lot easier than the traditional approach of selling at a high rejection rate. It's good for sissies like me with sensitive, thin skin. So, I've built a thick-skinned system that takes all the rejection, and meet only those buyers who have gone through my qualification system and are ready to move forward.

I know it's a disreputable way of earning a living, but the almost 100% success rate is not easy to give up.

Cheers

BD -Bald Dog

I think there are two points missing in the conversation on this thread:

1. When are we talking about "We're not interested" being injected into the conversation? During prospecting? After a presentation? During the needs and desires investigation? I propose that this one objection is actually 3 or 4 different objections, depending upon when it enters the sales conversation.

2. I know that many (most) participants at SalesPractice are B2B sales reps, but I work with B2C companies and individuals. Although lots of those folks prospect, many rely upon their marketing department to generate leads, appointments, or retail traffic. If you work in a retail store, let's say selling appliances, and someone walks into your store, you can't prequalify them to death, so many of the comments in this thread don't apply to that salesperson.

Also, if you sell in customers' homes, many (most?) of your appointments will be scheduled for you. Your job is to go into the home, meet with the prospect, and close the sale. You can't prequalify them to death or you'll end up with day after day of nobody to sell. These salespeople have the job of taking the tiny germ of prospect interest and magnifying it to the point that the customer is willing to buy.

So I would just ask that everybody here keep in mind that there is a large group of professional salespeople out there that are working in a slightly or greatly different sales environment than the typical B2B outside sales scenario. -Skip Anderson

Great point, Skip.

I think my ignorance comes from not understanding retail selling and B2C selling in general.

However, when we get the "not interested" comment is vital.

Thanks for pointing it out.

Happy new year to you all, folks.

BD -Bald Dog

I have great difficulty whenever I hear the client does not understand what I am expressing and they cannot tell me what they do not understand.
If I knew what I did not understand I would understand what you have expressed.
This means a few things.
1 we did not communicate well, no guide to our presentation confusing the client
2 what we have expressed has no bearing with the client.
3 We did not address the real issue

That is why it is always good to ask what concerns do you have with my proposal.This asks the client to speak freely and get to the real issue. -rich34232

Yes--it is very important to be sensitive to that. Many people who post here, and some have posted for a long time, reveal very little of what form of selling, or field they are in. Selling is almost too broad a term. Consider that retail firms, who focus primarily on business to consumer, often find themselves working the business to business arena and dealing with a company's chosen buying process. That would be sort of a hybrid situation in which an accomplished retail salesperson might stumble.

Another point related to that topic--if you read many of the posts here, you will notice that much discussion centers on phone work, some of it cold calling, some of it follow-up. Teleselling, and telemarketing are even two different fields. Those are vastly different occupations than face-to-face selling and presenting. Account management selling has little to do with many of the discussions here, but makes up a significant portion that we throw under the general term "selling".

Two things that would be common to success in any arena of sales are proactivity and work ethic. -Ace Coldiron