There are many reasons why people procrastinate when buying your products: they might not like the price, they may not think the product you selected will work for them, and/or they might not like you or your company. Rather than tell us exactly what they are thinking these kind-hearted individuals let us down easy with objections like "Let me think about it and I'll get back to you" or "I think I'll keep looking around and I'll let you know".
I refer to these "let-downs" as procrastination objections. They could be valid or they could be code for some other real objection they have, but one they don't want to tell you about.
The best way to deal with any objection is not to get it in the first place! Here are some basic habits you can develop and practice that will help you avoid these objections altogether:
- Start with the right attitude. Regardless of what they tell you, assume they are here to buy TODAY. Rarely do people tell you they are there to buy right away. This is a normal defense mechanism set up to guard us against making poor decisions or getting talked into to the wrong product by a slick sales person. If you set your sales process up with the expectation that they will not be buying today it's almost guaranteed they won't. If you set your process up with the assumption that they are going to buy (even if they told you from the start they were going to be shopping around) you will dramatically increase your odds of actually getting a sale.
- We love to tell sales people that try to sell us something we don't need that we will "think about it and get right back to them". Avoid getting the objection by making sure your product solves a problem you have mutually identified with the client.
- In your presentation consistently link the features of the product back to the problem you identified with them. People buy when they clearly see how what you are offering solves their problem. When they hear how you are solving the problem and not selling they will be more inclined to buy and not procrastinate.
- Check your progress throughout your entire sales presentation. Ask questions during the presentation to confirm that what you are suggesting will work for them. These are usually closed ended questions: "Can you see how this will save you some money?" or, "How does this sound?" Go looking for problems the customer may have with the product you have selected. Don't wait for them to get bored listening to you ramble on about something that doesn't fit their needs. If they get bored they will likely say they want to think about it and leave.
- Ask for the sale. Another major reason people procrastinate on a buying decision occurs when sales people talk past the sale. They continue their presentation indefinitely while waiting for the customer to put up their hand and say, "I'll take it!". While occasionally the client will stop a sales presentation to buy, more often than not they get bored listening to features and benefits that don't apply to them and they interrupt with an "I think we'll look around" and then they leave. After your product presentation, bring the sale to a logical conclusion by asking for the sale confidently and you will decrease the odds of them saying they want to put the decision off.
- When you first meet them ask them questions that might get them to tell you how long they have been thinking about buying, how long they have been shopping, or how much fun they are having with the process. The logic here is simple: if they complain about the hassle of finding the right product at the right rate and the time it is taking to do so, they will be less inclined to go back on what they said by saying they want to procrastinate some more.
Sample Questions:
- How long have you been looking at doing this?
- How long have you been shopping around?
- How is that process going for you?
- What have you found out there?
- Sounds like you have been thinking about doing this for awhile?
- After asking them about their week and having them suggest they have been busy," You sound extremely busy, how have you found time to shop around for this product?"
- When were you thinking you'd like to have this in place by?
You get the idea. Get them to listen to themselves complain about the process and they will be less likely to procrastinate.
Here's a guarantee: in the next short while you will have a client say to you that they want to think about it or shop around. I only have one question for you: will you have done everything in your power to have reduced the likelihood that you will even get that objection? Or are you still going to wing it, hoping for the best that the objection won't come up and then be surprised to hear it when it does? Your choice, but why not get into the objection prevention business instead of always try to overcome objections?