Written by Sean McPheat | 
Most prospects will use this simply to get rid of you and if you take it on face value, you might feel there might be a chance in six months’ time.
Your manager asks you about this prospect and you say,
“Yep, this one’s in the bag…all I need is to go back in six months and the order’s mine, all mine”.
Well, some will be genuine and really mean they will be making a decision in 6 months.
With others, it may well be a stall.
Reasons for the stall may include:
They’re not the true decision-maker
They don’t like the product or service
They don’t like the price
They don’t have the money
They don’t like you
They simply want to get rid of you
The best way to determine if it’s genuine or they are simply playing for time is to ask specific questions.
These might include:
What will be different in 6 months?
What’s preventing you from making a decision today?
Would you actually be buying in 6 months’ time?
How will the decision be made at that time?
Would you like to purchase now and pay in 6 months? (If you offer this kind of credit, of course)
Would you like me to show you how much you would save if you bought today, rather than in 6 months?
Remember though that any delay is not really the fault of the prospect.
It’s more often than not the fact that you haven’t built up the value in their eyes of making the decision now.
By determining how valuable a decision today would be to the prospect, you accentuate the benefits and lessen the value of making a choice further down the line.
Think how much benefit it would be to them to make that choice today and communicate that value in hard cash terms to the prospect.
That way, the emphasis is on how the individuals concerned would gain from a quick decision, and you create awareness of how this decision is really the right one to take right here, right now!
Please check out our Selling Skills Training or please contact us to discuss your Sales Training requirements. Our L&D team can help you to work out which course will be best for you or your team.
If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our popular Sales Training Courses.
Popular sales courses include:
Telesales Training
Account Management Training
Sales Management Training
Happy Selling!
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
Updated on: 4 July, 2018
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