Customer Procrastination is a Lose-Lose Situation

I worked with a couple buyers lately who procrastinated on buying and lost out on the homes they thought they wanted. It's a lose-lose situation. They lose because they didn't get the home and I lose because I didn't get the sale. What advice do you have for getting procrastinators to take action?

Thomas, great question.

One of the keys is to develop agreement about what the goals are early on. For instance, after you've done a wants and needs analysis with your prospect, ask something like, "So if we find a home that will meet the five needs you described, will you be in a position to move forward with the purchase?"

If they hesitate, then you've got to figure out what the issues are (there's no reason to show them anything unless they have a good reason for not moving ahead). If they say "yes", you've just built sales momentum. Doing that type of thing repeatedly throughout a sales interaction makes it more difficult for the prospect to be strangled by status quo paralysis.

At least that's one idea for you, Thomas.

Maybe they were just 'looking' to justify, staying in their existing home.

It doesn't sound like they had a need to move from their present home.

A definition of procrastination is: Procrastination is a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.

I look at sales people as 'change agents'. Their goal is to facilitate a prospect making a choice to use or buy something which they do not have (or are using) today.

With anything there needs to be a good reason (problem to be resolved, or fear of a problem that prospect wants to avoid) for the change to happen or nothing will occur.

An important part of a sales person role is to make sure, what the buying reasons are, how important they 'really are' and if they truly are that important, to get a committment up that if we find a solution that is fit, they will ACT.

If we don't learn enough about the WHY behind the WHAT they 'seem to be interested in' we can't blame anyone buy ourselves, if the prospect procrastinates, and then often just 'disappears' without even saying "Not Interested".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

I worked with a couple buyers lately who procrastinated on buying and lost out on the homes they thought they wanted. It's a lose-lose situation. They lose because they didn't get the home and I lose because I didn't get the sale. What advice do you have for getting procrastinators to take action?

Actually, I kind of get a kick out of telling a be-back that the house that thet were after is no longer availible, it just adds credibility to the take-away close that I throw at them before they walk.

Assuming you've meet their wants and needs, and have found the perfect fit, got mini commitments throughout the sales process. and they tell you they want to go home and think about it:

Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the hardest part of my job is having to tell folks that the house that they wanted today is not availible tommorow. You said that you wanted a large house correct? Does this house meet your size requirments? Mrs. Smith one of the biggest issues you are having at your current house is that the kitchen is too small for family gatherings. Look at the size of this kitchen, your whole family could be doing cart-wheels in here while you are cooking, wouldn't you agree? Come over here to this stove, can't you imagine preparing Thanksgiving dinner on this stove for your whole family this year? Doesn't it make sense to take this home off the market today, so you and your family can start enjoying the benefits that they all deserve?

If you get a yes, proceed with the paperwork, if you get a no there is an objection that you haven't addresed yet.

Good luck.

~James

My suggestion when you encounter procrastination is to treat it like any other objection which means find out what is really going on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Cesario

Assuming you've meet their wants and needs, and have found the perfect fit, got mini commitments throughout the sales process. and they tell you they want to go home and think about it:

Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the hardest part of my job is having to tell folks that the house that they wanted today is not availible tommorow. You said that you wanted a large house correct? Does this house meet your size requirments? Mrs. Smith one of the biggest issues you are having at your current house is that the kitchen is too small for family gatherings. Look at the size of this kitchen, your whole family could be doing cart-wheels in here while you are cooking, wouldn't you agree? Come over here to this stove, can't you imagine preparing Thanksgiving dinner on this stove for your whole family this year? Doesn't it make sense to take this home off the market today, so you and your family can start enjoying the benefits that they all deserve?

~James

With this approach you sound like a 'typical pushy salesperson' that most people would start to walk away from even faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulette Halpern

With this approach you sound like a 'typical pushy salesperson' that most people would start to walk away from even faster.

Please elaborate, I guess if it's not the " Sandler Way" than it's wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liberty

My suggestion when you encounter procrastination is to treat it like any other objection which means find out what is really going on.

Procrastination IS resistance. Deal with it as such. Something is missing. Either you didn't probe adequately or the customer isn't forthcoming.

Most people shy away from 'pushy salespeople'. If it works for you....that is all that matters.

If it doesn't, or if someone is uncomfortable doing it the way you do it, they won't be successful that way.

There are other approaches to take.

It is not a matter of right or wrong, but what will work to be successful.

Customer Procrastination is a Lose-Lose Situation

Sales Resistance Forum