Overcoming the “I want to shop around” Objection
Jeb Blount tells you what to do when you get the “We’re still looking around” stall.
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Overcoming the “I want to shop around” Objection
Daniel, a Sales Professional for Pella Windows and Doors writes:
I can overcome most objections such as price, product fit, and so on. A lot of the training I receive helps to overcome these things. But what do you say when you ask for the sale, and the homeowner says: ‘Well we’re in the process of getting other quotes, so thanks for coming by, and we’ll let you know….’ Where do you go from here?
Daniel, in almost every selling situation you will encounter this stall from buyers. When you get the “I want to shop around” objection here is the question you must ask yourself:
“Is this response an objection or are they really looking around?”
The reality is people often do get multiple quotes. And though some sales books and trainers would have you plow right through that objection and keep asking for the business, to do so, when the customer is really getting multiple quotes, can hurt more than help. Just put yourself in their shoes. If you wanted to get three quotes and some pushy salesperson just kept trying to get you to buy, eventually you would get ticked off and never buy from that person.
So my recommendation is that you qualify them upfront to find out who else they are getting quotes from. Just ask the question, “Who all have you gotten quotes from?” That way you can nail this potential roadblock down early. So, whether they tell you they have quotes from three of your competitors or they say you are first, at least you will know where you stand from the very beginning – which will help you develop your presentation, positioning, questioning, and follow up strategy specific to this prospect’s buying situation. With patience and a good follow up plan you will start closing many more of these customers.
Of course if you are getting this objection often you probably have a different problem. When people blow you off with the, “We’re getting other quotes” response sometimes they are saying, “You have not connected with me enough to make me want to buy.” or “You have not given me reasons to buy.”
In this case you should stop and analyze your presentation, positioning, questioning and closing processes. Try to understand what is working and what is not. Is there a common thread to the sales calls that end in this type of stall? Are you calling on truly qualified buyers? Are you asking the right questions? Are you talking too much and listening too little? Is your presentation coherent? Are you positioning your product based on the prospect’s stated needs or are you just using a standard pitch? You may want to ask your sales manager to observe you in action and give you a third party opinion. And I suggest calling the prospects who did not do business with you and ask them to give you feedback. If you go through this process you will make improvements that will decrease the frequency you get this objection and increase your sales.
Here is one final tip. If you are at the end of a presentation and you get the, “We are getting other quotes” response simply say this:
“That makes sense to me. I think it’s smart to look at all of your options. I’m just curious though, when you do make your decision what do you think will be the deciding factor?” Then shut up and listen. What you will likely hear is a story about how they make decisions, why they make decisions, or why you failed to convince them to buy now. This will help you decide which direction to go with your next move. In many cases you will uncover a hidden objection that when resolved will win the sale.
This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. If you have a sales question please send it to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.
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