Negotiate to Clarify Close
If the close is imminent, you might negotiate the customer’s easy questions, such as “Is Tuesday delivery possible?” “Does it come in red?” “What’s the lead time?”
On the other hand, tough questions are usually the objections. Classic objections include the following:
Budget. “That’s not in the budget this go-around.”
Quality. “I’m not sure that’s the quality that will work for us.”
Price. “Your price is just too high.”
Questions or voiced objections let you know that a negotiation is in progress.
Objections are easily defined: Anything that isn’t a yes is an objection—whether voiced or unvoiced. However, if your customers have no questions, they’re not involved in the sales process. How many times have you heard the following:
Salesperson: Do you have any questions?
Customer: No, I’m okay.
At least with questions, the negotiation is still open, and a clever salesperson can parlay that into a close. After “No, I’m okay,” all you have left is “Well, thank you for your time.” How much commission do you think you’ll get from this call? Worse yet, you’ll probably never get another connection with this person the next time you try.
It isn’t always easy to determine if the voiced objection or question is a real concern or just a smokescreen, or maybe just a way to get you off the phone. Whatever the question or objection, even if it is one you’ve heard countless times, treat it as if it is real and handle it. In Chapter 9, you will learn four methods to handle many specific objections (as well as those “We’re okay” responses). The better you become at negotiation, the shorter your closing times will be, translating into more closes per day.