“Call me after the holidays”, “We won’t look at this until after the beginning of the year”, “We don’t know if we’ll have a budget for that next year”, etc.
Chances are, these are some of the phrases you may be getting around this time of year.
So what should you do since most companies are either busy with holiday parties, looking over last year’s numbers, or strategizing for the New Year? The first thing to do is recognize that as legitimate as they may sound, these are put-offs.
Here are three things to help you understand where you stand:
1. Get a clear commitment to the next step - The next date and time you and the prospect will get together should be clearly stated, and all agenda items should be known. A prospect who is serious about meeting with you will have no problem setting up a date on the calendar to meet. Think about sales as dating – someone who really wants to be with you (in this case, meet you) will make time for you, no matter the circumstance.
2. Beware of "wishy-washy" words - As salespeople, we tend to overlook these words because in our mind we automatically think “maybe” is a good thing because they did not say “no”, and there’s still hope…sorta kinda. Understand what “probably” and “maybe” really means. Once you know what these mean, you’ll know where you really stand.
3. Be ready to close the file – If you can’t get a clear timeline for when you and the prospect will get together and there are too many wishy-washy words still floating around, then chances are, the prospect is not willing to invest the time, money, and resources to make a change. In this case, it’s time to close the file.
And most importantly – never underestimate the power of intuition. Your gut will always know first. Obviously, we all come up with put-offs sometimes, especially during this busy time of year, so what we need sometimes is a good planning session. CLICK HERE to request of our speakers for your next meeting, and close out the year strong with us!
