Out of all the possible objections you get when selling your product or service, the nebulous, ‘I want to think about it’ is probably one of the hardest ones to overcome. I mean, the prospect isn’t saying no, exactly, but he isn’t giving us an objection that we can overcome either. So what do you do?
If you’re like most sales reps, then you fumble around for some kind of response and end the call with a wimpy, ‘Well, when should I call you back?’ The prospect is thinking, ‘How about the 12th of never?’
Seeing through the smokescreen
Any good closer knows that this objection is the mother of all smokescreens and can hide a number of real objections. The real skill in dealing with this is to get your prospect to reveal their real reason he’s not going with it. And that’s what the following responses to this objection provide you with.
Option A
This first response is to give your prospect some options so they can give you an idea of what they really mean – and their answer will give you the direction you then need to go in to close the sale:
“_________, whenever I tell someone I need to think about it, it usually means one of three things:
- I’m not going to do a deal for whatever reason, and I just want to get them off the phone
- I kind of like the idea but I’m going to have to find the money or talk to my partner, or something else is holding me back
- I really like the idea, and I just have to move something around before I say yes.
Be honest with me; which one of those things is it for you right now?”
As always when asking questions, use your mute button and let your prospect get everything out. Use the ‘Oh?’ technique to prod him/her on further…
Option B
This next response is one of my favourites because in going through each of these options, you’re actually qualifying your prospect as well. Especially when you get to the last question about budget.
“Perfectly fine. Just to be sure, you do understand how this (your product or service) would work in your environment, right? And are you confident that if you moved forward with it you would get positive results? And finally, if you decide to give this a try, is the budget there to move forward with it?
“Then just to clarify my thinking, what factors will you be considering in thinking about this?”
Again, listen carefully and give your prospect the time to finish his thoughts and give you all the info you need – in other words, use your mute button when he/she is speaking.
Option C
This last response is a little tongue in cheek, but it works! The important thing is not only what your prospect responds with, but how they say it…
“No problem, ___________. When should I call you back on this? And what is going to happen between then and now that will convince you to move forward with this?”
So there you have it! Three proven ways to handle the bane of every sales person’s existence: The dreaded ‘I want to think about it’ smokescreen. Use them today and put an end to the stalls you get when trying to close your sale. •
