Here’s a helpful way to start your sales conversation which involves getting your prospect to agree to making a decision after you’ve made your presentation. That way, rather than accepting a reply such as, “I want to think about it,” you can ask for a decision, one way or the other.
Here’s how it works:
You lower some of the initial sales resistance by saying, “Doug, I’m glad that we get to spend this time together. Please relax. All I want to do during this time we have together is to show you some of the reasons why other people have decided to own our product.”
“All I ask is that you look at what I have to show you with an open mind, see if it applies to your situation, and then tell me at the end of our conversation if this product makes sense to you. Is that fair enough?”
Now, if you say this slowly and calmly, the prospect should relax. He might still be suspicious, but not nearly as much as before.
In fact, now he might be curious to know why others have decided to purchase your product. And as a result, his mind is open, and he’s prepared to listen to you.
That’s because there’s a subtle suggestive element to this approach. You see, you’re implying that your product is already effective, since it’s being used by a good number of people.
Now, all that you’re asking the prospect to do is to see if the same reasons that other people are using what you offer apply to him as well.
Then, you continue the sales process by asking questions to find out what he’s already doing, and how your product or service might apply to his situation. As a sales professional, you uncover the needs that your product or service can fulfill.
And after that, once you’re clear about the prospect’s situation and needs, you can present your offer as the ideal solution to his needs.
But, what if the prospect still says, “Well, I’ll need to think about it?” If that’s the case, here’s how you can respond:
“Well, Doug, I appreciate that, but you committed to letting me know one way or the other if this applied to your situation or not. And from what you’ve mentioned, this seems to be a good fit for you at this time, unless there’s something that I don’t understand.”
You see, the nice thing about this approach is that it leads the prospect to give you a concrete reason for hesitating. And if he does this, you can go ahead and resolve his concern and move the sale forward.
