For some reason, an intrinsic part of human nature is to desire that which is forbidden. It seems that whatever it is that we cannot, or should not have, are the very things we want most. Take anything, and deny someone of their right, ability or choice to have it, and they will want it more, simply because they canât have it.
Hard to Get
Take a child who has no interest in a particular toy. Tell that child that he or she cannot have that toy, and suddenly the child wants it more. As adults, we are the same. We all seem to have an affinity to desire the preverbal âforbidden fruit.â
For some reason, that which is harder to obtain, has more value when possessed. Hence, a cornerstone of relationship theology is that of the act of âPlaying hard to get.â A woman may believe that the more difficult it is for the man to gain her affection, the more he will desire and cherish it when obtained. And frankly, that philosophy is often correct.
Going with the Flow
Please understand that I am not going to try to explain the complexities of human nature, nor am I going to try to fully understand such. However, I know that there are ways to capitalise on this inherent human condition. My point is that perhaps you should learn to take advantage of a situation that already exists.
The Take-Away Close
Depending on dozens of factors about what you sell, the type of selling you use to sell it and your sales funnel process; it may be helpful for you to, at some pre-planned point in your sales process, slightly to âtake awayâ the offer or opportunity from the prospect.
You may have been asking sales questions to pull out the problems and then pushing benefits and selling throughout the interaction; trying to get the prospect to accept the offer and to envision having it.
However, at some point, you may want to reverse that momentum and inform the prospect that maybe they canât have it.
Benchmark Your Sales Skills & Competencies For FREE!
Receive a 19-page personalised report on the findings
Get an analysis of how you sell along with
some recommendations on how to improve
âWell, everything looks good. But I just have to ask my wife about thisâŠâ
âYes, it is a great offer, but I always discuss things like this with my husband firstâŠâ
We are all familiar with the spouse objection, and before I give you a great way to overcome this sales objection, let me first make one thing clear:
You first must make sure that you are dealing with an objection or a stall and not a condition.
What I mean is that if your sales process is such that to have a qualified prospect, you need both the husband AND wife together, then you are not dealing with an objection or a stall. If you are doing a âone-leggedâ presentation, that is a condition.
In such a case, you need to strengthen your qualifying and Appointment Setting.
Closing is not the issue here.
However, in situations where a couple is not the decision-making unit, then you have, in most cases a stall, sometimes an objection.
Imagine that you have the business owner in front of you and you know that their spouse has absolutely nothing to do with the business. Yet the shop owner tells you that they need to speak with their spouse. Or the doctor or accountant tells you that they must ârun it byâ their spouse husband first. In these cases, try the answer below.
This answer, however, is not for the faint of heart. It takes a strong salesperson. As always, the words are nothing more than an example of the concept and not meant as a script.
Also, it will work for either spouse, as well as for other unconnected people that the prospect wants to use as the basis for a stall.
Benchmark Your Sales Skills & Competencies For FREE!
Receive a 19-page personalised report on the findings
Get an analysis of how you sell along with
some recommendations on how to improve
Spouse Script
As soon as you get that stall, your reaction needs to revert to pure shock and utter disappointment. You cannot believe what you are hearing. Then, very sincerely and almost defeated, come back with something like thisâŠ
Salesperson:
âAhâŠwow. Um, I really just donât know what to say, Steve. I mean, I ahâŠI really donât know what to even think about that.â
Prospect:
âWhat? Itâs no big deal. I always talk about things like this with my wife.â
Salesperson:
âSteve, let me get this straightâŠyou run this business every day, and make all the decisions every day, is that right?â
Prospect:
âWell, yeahâŠâ
Salesperson:
âAnd, you have your finger on the pulse of this business. I mean you know what is going on every minute; you manage the daily operations, correct?â
Prospect:
âYes. But like I said, I like to talk to her about things like this.â
Salesperson:
âSteve, you know this business inside and out, and more intimately than anyone on earth can know this business, including your wife. Then, on top of that, you have me, right here in front of you, giving you all the information that you need to make an informed, intelligent business decision and Iâm right here, now, to answer questions. Now, with all of that, you are apparently still not able to make a business decision.
So, you are telling me, you are going to go to your wife, who knows one-tenth of what you know and understand of the needs of YOUR businessâŠthen you are going to give her just a small fraction of the information. Steve, I have spent three years learning how to deliver the information I just gave to you in the last 45 minutes. There is simply no way possible for you to give her the same information and you will not have all the material I have either.
But, you are going to ask your wife; Sarah, right? Who has but a fraction of the knowledge and understanding of your business, and you are going to give her but maybe 10% of the information needed to make an educated decision? And you are going to put 100% of the responsibility to make your business decision on her shoulders? Steve, I just cannot believe you would put that type of pressure on your wife.â
The Truth
Now I have exaggerated that statement above for affect but that message is exactly what the prospect is saying. When you make it clear to the buyer what they are telling you, usually you will get the truth.
Prospect:
âWell, no. I mean. I make the decisions. I just wanted to talk to her. The main thing I want to talk to her about is the monthly payment. Iâm just a little concerned about thatâŠâ
If it is a one-legger, you are done. If not, this close may salvage a few sales you may have thought were lost.
Youâve spent years perfecting your craft and learning everything there is to know about what you sell and the competition. However, you have to be careful not to allow that knowledge to flow too swiftly.
The Instant Response
Of course, some products and services require light-speed responses, but selling most products and services today, requires more of a consultative approach. The problem that often befalls experienced sales professionals is that they answer questions too quickly and solve problems too easily.
From extensive experience and knowledge, the sales person knows within minutes exactly what the prospectâs problems are and the precise combination of products and services to offer. However, when that determination appears to come too fast and without much effort, it diminishes the value.
The Examination
Let me try to explain with the following analogy.
Not feeling well, you go to your doctorâs office. From the symptoms you wrote down on the appointment sheet, the doctor already knows exactly what the problem is. She has seen 20 other patients in the last few weeks with identical symptoms and identified the local virus thatâs going around town. Before even seeing you, the doctor is near certain of the problem and the solution.
The Good Doctor
However, a good doctor will still take some time to ask questions and perform some type of an examination.
âSo how long have you been feeling this way?â âHave you changed your diet?â âHow is your appetite?â etc. The doctor begins to utter those famous phrases that show she is deep in thought in consideration of your case… âUhm-um.â and âI see…â
Finally, after the, âOpen your mouth and say ahh…â the doctor informs you of the virus, prescribes the medication and sets a follow up appointment.
Too Fast
Imagine however, the doctor who walks in and without even speaking to you, or checking you out just says, âYou have a virus, take two of these pills, drink plenty of fluids and call me next week.â And then walks out!
The doctor builds the value of her services by properly recognising the value and severity of the problem.
The Consultative Response
When you solve issues and answer questions too quickly, you can unwittingly diminish the significance of the problem.
When you diminish the significance of the problem, you simultaneously lower the value of the solution TO the problem. Does that make sense?
Slow down. Donât be so quick to blurt out answers, and that includes answering objections. Just because you can solve some problems or issues in a matter of seconds, does not always mean you should.
The more severe the problem is, the more valuable the solution will be.
