You didn’t qualify the prospect very well, did you? OK, what do you do now?
When others need to approve the deal, besides qualifying the buyer better, you must take four action steps:
- Get the prospect’s approval.
- Get on the prospect’s team.
- Arrange a meeting with all deciders.
- Make your entire presentation again.
If you think you can get around these steps, think again. It’s obvious you’re looking for shortcuts or you would have properly qualified the buyer. If you would have just asked, “Is there anyone else you work with on decisions like these?” this whole mess wouldn’t be taking place. Would it?
When you hear the words, “I have to talk this over with…”,
you realize you’ve done something very wrong.
Back to the reality of the four steps.
- Get the prospect’s personal approval. “Mr. Jones, if it was just you, and you didn’t need to confer with anyone else, would you buy it?” (the prospect will almost always say yes). I ask. “Does this mean you’ll recommend our product to the others?”
Now I go through a checklist that seems a little redundant, but I want to uncover any areas of doubt, so I’ll ask…
- Is the price ok?
- Is the product ok?
- Is the service ok?
- Is the company ok?
- Am I ok?
- What doubts do you have?
- Do you like it well enough to own it?
(Note: Revise these questions to suit what you sell. Revise them in a more personalized way. The objective is to nail down absolute approval.) Get the prospect to endorse you and your product to the others, but don’t let him (or anyone) make your pitch for you.
- Get on the prospect’s team. Begin to talk in terms of we, us, and the team. By getting the prospect on your side of the sale, you can now get on his side of the team.
- What do WE have to do?
- When can WE get them together?
- When does the team meet next? It’s important that I am present because I’m sure they’ll have questions that they will want answers to.
- What can I do to be a member of the team?
- Tell me a little bit about the others (write down every characteristic). Try to get personality traits of the other deciders.
- Arrange a meeting with all deciders. Do it any way you have to. Leave several alternative open times from your calendar. Use the alternatives as a reason to get back and solidify your meeting with the decision making group.
- Make your entire presentation again. You only have to do this if you want to make the sale. Otherwise just leave it to the prospect. He thinks he can handle it, and will try his best to convince you of that.
The best way for you to make this (or any) sale is to be in control of the situation. If you make the mistake of letting your prospect become a salesperson on your behalf, (goes to the partner instead of you) you will lose. Every time.
An alternative method…
Ask the prospect if he’s sure the partner, wife, boss will want to do the deal. If the prospect says, “Yes, I’m sure.” You say, “Great! Why not just approve the purchase now (sign the contract), get their approval. If you call me tomorrow and tell me “no” I’ll tear up the contract. Fair enough?
You can avoid and prevent this objection with three words…
Qualify the buyer!
FREE GitBit
Want to know the Seven Steps to Overcoming an Objection? I’ll send them to you free plus a bonus…The perfect response when the customer says, “I want to think it over.” Just go to www.gitomer.com click Access GitBit/RedBit in the upper right corner register if you’re a first time user and enter the word, OBJECTION.
