Objection # 5 I never make a decision on the first night. Overcoming this objection depends on timing, says David Braymiller, owner of Braymiller Builders in Hudson, N.Y., a replacement company that sells a high-end line of vinyl windows. Key to managing this situation is to build up the value and quality of the product well before the close.
“If you’ve done a good demo, they should be saying, ‘Wow, this is going to cost us an arm and a leg,’” Braymiller says. If prospects agree that the value is there but they want to delay making a decision, he asks them to confirm that they think the price is worth it. “I say, ‘I understand that you don’t want to sign right away, but do you feel the product is worth the investment we’re asking for it?’” Later in the presentation, Braymiller mentions promotions that reduce the cost slightly — say a $1,000 direct mail coupon — after which he’ll suggest that the prospect just go ahead and buy the windows he or she has already agreed are more than worth the price. “People need a reason to go ahead and get the job done today,” he points out. “If you give them a price today, and they can get the same price next week and next month, there’s no reason for them to sign today.” If they still need a reason, Braymiller’s rep mentions the first-call discount.
Objection # 6 I can’t afford it. Pam Fry, a $1.5 million-plus saleswoman whose career has taken her to several home improvement companies in the South, notes that this is different from saying “It’s too much money.”
“If they say they can’t afford it, they literally can’t afford it,” says the 50-something single mother of five. “And it can be an embarrassing situation.” Fry, who had no selling experience before she went to work pitching windows, can relate to such prospects. Financing, she says, is not an easy way out, because those with cash flow problems would be especially reluctant to take on monthly payments far into the future. Her solution? Partials. That is, if the house needs a dozen windows, she’ll sell the homeowner as many as he or she can afford. That, says Fry, is a small sale now but a foot in the door for the future.
Objection # 7 We’ll get back to you. So-called “be backs” bedevil many a home improvement salesperson. For Keith Lay, owner of Southland Remodelers in Oak Ridge, Tenn., that phrase is a sign that he needs to move the conversation onto another level. “I lower my voice, edge closer and say, ‘Folks, plain talk is easily understood.’”
Lay then explains to the prospect that if people hesitate to buy, it’s for one of four reasons: because they don’t have enough information or they don’t like the product, the price, or the salesperson. “I ask them if I’ve answered all their questions. I remind them that they’ve told me they like the product and they think the price is fair. And I tell them, ‘I’m hurt if you don’t like me, but I can accept that.’”
Lay says he wants to let prospects know that he’s serious about what he’s doing and that they can speak up about what’s really bugging them. If he can’t get past the objection, he asks for a specific time within the next 24 hours when he should contact them, by phone or in person, about their decision. He also leaves product samples and literature behind. Last year, 67% of the calls Lay went on became net good sales.
Objection # 8 We have to talk it over in private. George Willis IV, of Willis Windows & Doors in El Campo, Texas, suggests that salespeople always honor this request, but by leaving the room rather than the property. If prospects seem reluctant, he reminds them that they’ve been talking about buying a sunroom for many months. Before they go into their private conference, he says, “‘I need to make a few phone calls. While you guys talk about whether or not to move forward on the project, I’ll see if we can get you a better value for the dollar.” Sharpening the pencil might result in a project upgrade, such as throwing in a seven-piece wicker or rattan furniture set as part of the sunroom sale. (He avoids dollar discounts.) Anticipating the desire for private conversation is even better. “Sometimes, if you watch the body language, you can see that they want to have a few minutes together,” he says. “I say, ‘Look, folks, I can see you want to talk about this in private, so I’ll go out and make a few phone calls.”
Objection # 9 I want to talk to my bank about it. This objection is one that Jason Durante of Durante Window & Siding in Birmingham, Ala., hears quite a bit. And he knows what happens when he does. “They’ll go down to the bank, and the banker will say, ‘I’m happy to give you the loan, but I know somebody who can do it for less.’” He suggests to prospects that they agree on a price, sign a contract, and then apply for a home equity loan. Durante secures their commitment by offering same-day signing incentives. That way he doesn’t lose the sale and prospects don’t lose their discounts. The homeowners secure their loan and pay the contractor when the job is complete a few months later. The important thing, Durante points out, is to walk away with a signed agreement, in addition to the promise of seeing the banker. “If you walk out of the house without any commitment, you’ve got a 20% chance of getting that business,” he says.
Objection # 10 We want to pray on it. This is the objection you’re least likely to hear, unless you live in the South, but it’s a tough one. How do you dispute the need for spiritual advice?
One rep quickly joins hands to lead his prospects in prayer, saying, “God, please allow these good people to come to a decision tonight.” Another rep counters by reminding prospects that he wouldn’t be in their home if it weren’t God’s will.
Jake Jacobson, sales manger for Premier Window and Builders in Owings Mills, Md., says that he finds such tactics unseemly. Instead, he turns to other, more conventional, methods of getting the sales process back on track. “I had a very religious lady I was visiting with one night,” Jacobson says. The woman indicated she wished to discuss the possible purchase of windows with the Almighty. “I said to her: ‘I would be happy to come back, but would you be willing to give up your opportunity to pray on it for a decent discount?’ She looked at me and said, ‘How much?’” He got the sale.
