In part 1 of this post, I shared two videos from sales experts on how they would handle the classic “I have to think it over” objection. Below Annette Lackovic, an Australian sales trainer suggested that you relax when this objection comes, and ask prospects questions to uncover their real concerns.
Here is her video below –
Let me “think it over” objection ranks as one of the most common objections you will hear along with the price objection.
But do prospects really need to “think it over”? No. It’s really a stall on their part because they are still interested in your product or service, but they have some concerns. Your job is to uncover those concerns, reassure the prospect that he is making the right decision, and move forward with the close.
But how do you do this? In the next few videos, let’s see what the sales experts have to say about this, and what they would do.
Dan Boe from The Selling Shop suggests taking an assertive approach by asking the prospect to sign a contract, but with a promise to tear up the agreement in a few days if the prospect does not want to move forward. His argument is by taking this approach, the prospect is either serious about moving forward, or it will allow you to uncover the real truth behind the prospect’s concerns.
Here is his video –
Alan Gordon, the author of The Big Book of Sales, argues that this objection is really a buying signal and that you need to agree with the prospect, paraphrase what he said, and then ask questions to uncover the prospect’s real concerns. He makes the case to avoid using gimmicks and just get to the heart of the issue.
Here is his video –
While the experts in the previous videos may have different tactics on how to find the decision-maker, it’s clear how important it is to find that person. If not, you may end up wasting precious time that you don’t have.
This is what I’ve done to find the right decision-maker –
1). Do some research. Before making sales calls or following up on inbound requests, I take a few minutes to research the company on LinkedIn, the company’s website or if available through my employer, a lead generating tool.
2). Just ask. Hey, this isn’t the time to be shy. Your income is on the line here. Some questions I ask are –
a). Besides yourself, who else is involved in the decision-making process?
b). Can you explain to me how your company makes these kinds of decisions? Can you go through the process with me?
Once they review the decision-making process with me, I may ask – what role do you play in the decision-making process? If they tell me bluntly that they are the decision-maker, wonderful! If they hem and haw, I will dig further.
3). My gut feeling. Sometimes my gut tells me that my prospect isn’t telling me the complete truth. It happens. I’ve had situations where I discover that the prospect is just doing his own research, and he even hasn’t told his boss what he’s doing. I don’t get angry. Instead, I try to bring him on board as an advocate for my employer’s products or services. I work with him and slowly try to build a consensus with him and others on his team. This is especially true if you are dealing with a large company that has a long sales cycle. You just have to be patient.
4). More than one decision-maker. Contrary to popular belief, these days there may be more than one decision-maker. This is especially true at large companies. While one person may sign on the dotted line (usually someone in finance), it may take several discussions with several key players to reach that point. You just have to be patient.
When it comes to finding the right decision-maker, take your time but be persistent. It will be worth it.
Tracey McCormack, Founder & CEO of McCormack Media Services, argues that these days many companies may not have a single decision-maker and that you need to build consensus within a company before a buying decision is made.
Here is her video –
John D. Mongillo, of Groovtoon Films, has some pretty blunt advice on why it’s important to find the right decision-maker and what you need to do to accomplish this goal –
In part 1 of this post, I shared with you two videos from experts on how to find the right decision-maker.
Below are more videos to help you –
Tom Hopkins, author and sales trainer, offers his suggestion on how to find the right decision-maker –
Alan Gordon, the author of The Big Book of Sales, does an excellent presentation below on how to find the right decision-maker –
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is not always talking to the right person – the decision-maker. You may spend days – if not weeks – talking to someone. You have done a presentation or webinar or two. Maybe the prospect has done a trial or two of your product or service. You have great rapport. You feel that you and the prospect are hitting it off well and you can almost see the money coming in.
And then it happens – he’s not the decision-maker! In fact, he may not even be an employee, but an intern hired by someone to keep him busy or just do research.
You want to scream. You want to hit your fist against the wall. All that time wasted – but it could have been avoided if you have just taken the time to find out who the decision-maker is.
Below and in the next few posts, are videos from YouTube on how sales experts would find the decision-maker –
Rachel Gordon, a sales executive, suggests that you simply have to come out and ask who the decision-maker is.
Here is her video below –
Jill Konrath, author, and speaker offers three ways of finding the right decision-maker.
Here is her video below –