3 Strategies for the Postponed objection
3 Tips To Close a deal. First, Postpone objection. What is it?
All salespeople, including physical trainers, experience postponed objections. I’ll illustrate with an example: A prospect just listened to your excellent sales pitch presentation. You summarized the investment they’ll make, and their response is:
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll get back to you. Thank you.” Or “I’ll think about it.”
I call this the postponed objection. The reply is neither a yes nor a no it is simply a time-out. What is the prospect trying to convey with their reply?
- Are these prospects just being polite?
- Are these prospects requiring more time to make a decision?
- Are your prospects not seeing the value of your product, or in the case of a physical trainer, your service?
I want your response to the postponed objection. Please provide your comments below.
As I mentioned, there are several ways to counter a postponed objection, but let’s continue with several what-if scenarios that may occur after the prospect says, “I will get back to you.” or “I’ll think about it.”
- You wait for their next response.
- After a day, a week, or a month, you follow up with them
- Prospects never contact you again.
3 of 3: Escape The Postponed Objection tactic
Firstly, as a personal trainer, I constantly hear this phrase after presenting a free exercise session and talking about the many training programs that the gym I work at offers.
The sales training I received at my freelance gym taught me to use empathy to coerce prospects. Here’s the flaw with that tactic. Salespeople who lack empathy are lying both to themselves and to their prospects.
You need to be direct as a sales representative and show your commitment to closing the deal. In short, you have already contributed value. Now it’s just a matter of closing any potential escape routes.
In summation, I will use an analogy. in MMA, if fighter A sees themselves in a submission hold, they have two options: tap out or look for an escape.
This is your escape route:
Prospect: “I’ll get back to you. I’ll have to think about it”
You: “It’s funny you should say that. I never hear from someone who promises to get back to me. Let’s be honest about it. What obstacles can we resolve for us to do business today?”
Here’s your opportunity to escape. You ask a very straightforward question. Here, the prospect’s dilemma will be revealed. It is common for the prospect to follow any of the following patterns:
- “Please provide me with more information”
- “I need to make a budget,”
- “I need to check my schedule to see if I can make this work.”
- “ I need to talk to someone before I make a decision”
From here, you can refocus on addressing their truths. You can use your skills as a problem solver to offer solutions. Prospects aren’t objecting at this point. They want solutions.
