Learn How to Break Through the Sales Call Stall

In the past few months, how many times have you heard prospects say, “Our budget’s frozen, or we’re putting off the decision until next quarter, or, “go ahead and send us a proposal, but there’s no way we can pay your premium price at this time?” This is what is referred to as The Stall — where prospects take the easy way out and use tough times as an excuse to put off a buying decision. That’s why I’d like to invite you to our next webinar on May 28 entitled, Overcoming the Stall : What They’re REALLY Saying – and How You Can Break Through It.  During this 60-minute live audio presentation, you will learn how to ask powerful probing questions to uncover your customer’s real buying motives and hidden agendas. You’ll learn how to differentiate legitimate reasons from the put-offs so you can manage your time effectively — and break through — the Stall. Get more details & register today.

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When I conduct sales training, the most common problem that comes up is the prospect who won’t make a decision. Of course, we’d all prefer prospects to say yes, but at least when they say no, we can move on. Fence-sitters can take up inordinate amounts of your time and energy, often with little to show at the end.

The problem is, some of the best customers are also slow to decide — especially in the relationship’s initial stages. So how can you sort out the real opportunities from the dead-enders? Try the following three-step approach to get the sales process moving — or figure out whether it’s time for you to move on.

Agree Clarify and Legitimize.

First you agree with the prospect, then you ask for clarification, and finally, you ask a question designed to uncover whether there’s a legitimate sales opportunity for you. The questions are respectful. The entire process takes only a few minutes, and it can save considerable wheel-spinning — for you and the prospect.

Here are three scenarios showing how it works:

1. “Send me more information”

It’s hard to know what prospects mean when they tell you this. Some salespeople regard it as a guaranteed blow-off, but real prospects will often start here as well. The only way to find out is to ask!

AGREE: “I’d be glad to send you information.”

CLARIFY: “So that I get you the right information, what specifically are you looking for?” If the prospect answers using action-oriented words, there’s a good chance this is a genuine opportunity: “We’re looking to achieve… fix… solve… avoid… improve…” These words suggest that the prospect has already identified his or her problems and accepted that change is necessary. If the prospect says, “Send me whatever you have,” it’s not a real opportunity. Time to move on.

LEGITIMIZE: Project your prospect into the future so that she can walk you through the decision-making process; for example: “You’ll receive the information by Monday. Assuming you’ll need some time to look it over, when should I call back to follow up?” Once you have a time frame…

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