“I Need to Talk to My Spouse.”

Let’s say you’ve just demonstrated the results that would be achieved by owning your product or service, and the prospect says, “You know, this sounds really good, but I just need to talk to my wife about this, because we always make these kinds of decisions together.” In that case, what’s an effective way to respond, so that you can still close the sale?

Why You Get This Objection

Well, first of all, it’s important to understand why you’re getting this objection to begin with. And very likely, the reason why is because you haven’t learned how to pull out enough emotion from the questions you’re asking.

In other words, your questions are too basic. And as a result, your prospects aren’t opening up and telling you what their real problems are. Or worse yet, they’re emotionally shutting down, either because of what you’re saying, or the questions that you’re failing to ask.

Large Problem vs. Small Problem

So, all of this is causing your prospects to not clearly see all of the issues and problems that they have, as well as where they ultimately want to be instead. And because they don’t see the large gap between their current situation and their desired situation, their problems don’t look that bad, and they don’t feel a sense of urgency to solve them.

Now, this gap is only determined by your questioning skills. Again, if your prospects think that the gap between their current situation and their desired situation is large, then your product or service will seem to be reasonably priced by comparison.

But on the flip side, if your prospects think that the gap is small, then your product or service will seem to be more much expensive compared to the size of their problems. And as a result, you hear the objection, “I need to talk to my spouse.”

You see, most of the time, this is not your prospect’s real concern. On the other hand, it’s usually just a smokescreen objection.

In other words, your prospects do have an actual concern. But, they don’t want to open up and tell you what it is, and saying that they need to speak with their spouse is just a convenient way to try to end the sales conversation.

Now, as a sales professional, it’s your responsibility to fix your lack of questioning skills. And with that said, there are several steps to responding effectively when the prospect says, “I need to talk to my spouse.” So, let’s get into it.

The Solution

Okay. Your initial response is going to be very simple.

You see, the first thing you’re going to do is actually acknowledge what your prospect said. And you can do that by simply saying, “Yeah, that’s not a problem. How does your spouse feel about you getting this [name of your product or service] so that you can [repeat the ultimate result they said they wanted]?”

Now, the prospect might say, “Oh, I think she would want me to do this, but I just need to make sure by asking her first.”

Challenge the Prospect

Then, you can respond with a bit of a challenging tone by saying, “Yeah, I understand. I guess, what will happen, though, if you go to her, and she doesn’t want you to get the funds in order to begin using this [name of your product or service], so that you can [repeat the ultimate result they said they wanted]? What would happen then?”

You see, this is a consequence question that encourages your prospects to think about what will happen if they don’t do anything.

And the prospect might say, “I understand. I’m just not sure what she’s going to say about this.”

Here, you can continue with a bit of a skeptical tone by saying, “Okay. Well, how will you get [the result they said they wanted] if she doesn’t let you then?”

Now, the prospect might start to agree and say, “Yeah, I know I need to do something about this.”

And at this point, with some of your prospects, you can actually resolve the concern and earn the sale. But on the other hand, if you still can’t do that yet, then similar to the situation where the prospect says, “I need to think about it,” you’ll schedule another meeting with the prospect.

And you can do this by saying, “I understand. I guess, what’s your timeframe for getting back to me today or tomorrow, just to see if I’d be available for you?” You see, when you say this, it positions you as the expert who’s busy, as opposed to someone’s who at your prospect’s mercy because you’re desperate to make the sale.

The prospect will likely say, “Well, I could call you back in the next few days, I guess.”

Schedule Another Meeting

Now, you don’t want to accept this wishy-washy answer, because they’re most likely not going to call you back. Instead, you want to have the prospect commit to a specific time with you. So you say, “Well, I’m not sure if I’d be randomly available like that with my schedule. What I can do, though, if it helps, is that if you have your calendar handy, I can pull up mine too. And that way, you can book a specific time with me in the next day or so, so that you don’t have to chase me down and vice versa. Would that be appropriate?”

Once again, this positions you as the expert who’s busy helping a lot of other clients solve their problems. And this is attractive to your prospects, because it makes you look like you know what you’re doing.

On the other hand, you never want to say, “I can make myself available late at night or on the weekends,” because it makes you look desperate. And if this happens, then you’re no longer viewed as the authority or expert.

Instead, you’re viewed as just another salesperson who’s trying to sell something to a prospect. And as a result, they push you into a corner and view you as a mere commodity.

Help the Prospect to Relax

Now, after the both of you agree on a time and have the next meeting booked, you’ve helped them to let their guard down, because they think that you’re finally going to leave.

Then, at this point, you say, “Now, before I go, what parts of what we went over do you feel like you need to discuss with your spouse, just so I know what questions you guys will have when we talk tomorrow?” And after you ask this question, the real objection will come out.

Real Objections

For instance, the prospect could say, “Well, I just really need to talk with her to see if we have the budget for this.” And if that’s the case, then now you know that it’s actually a money objection, and you can handle it accordingly while you’re still there with the prospect.

Or, the prospect might say, “Well, I just really need to talk with her to see if we have the time to do this.” And again, now you know that it’s a time issue.

Or, the prospect could even say, “Well, I just really need to talk with her to see if we really even need this right now.” And if that’s the case, then now you know that you haven’t created enough of a gap between where they currently are, and where they ultimately want to be.

Again, regardless of what the real concern is, the good news is that you’re still right there with the prospect, rather than having to wait for the next appointment. Because after all, there may be a chance that they don’t show up the next day.

So, you simply continue the conversation by clarifying the objection and discussing it further. Then, as a result, many times you can help the prospect resolve their actual concern while you’re still right there with them. And in the worst-case scenario, if they still need to talk to their spouse, you still have a chance to earn the sale when you show up the next day for the booked appointment.