I'll Think About It

How often have you walked into a shop, been accosted by an over-zealous salesperson and used the buyers’ get-out-of-jail-free card....”I’ll think about it.”?  Do you ever actually go away and think about it? Generally not.

If your customers are saying “I’ll think about it” to you, it’s time to ask yourself “Why”?  The simple answer is that they feel under pressure and you have not given them a good enough reason to stick around and buy from you.  And of course, once those dreaded words “I’ll think about it” are out of their mouths, you might as well pack it in and go home. But wait!  All is not yet lost! There is still a glimmer of hope.

Think of their “I’ll think about it” as an objection and objections are simply a request for more information.  So instead of waving the sale goodbye when you hear “I’ll think about it”, say these exact words....

“Obviously you have a reason for saying that. Do you mind if I ask what it is?”

This prompts your customer to provide you with the information you need to alter the course of the sale. Let’s look at this in a practical scenario.

A customer in your electronics store has just said to you “I’ll think about it.”
You say, “Obviously you have a reason for saying that. Do you mind if I ask what it is?”
They come back with, “Well, I was just looking at TV’s but I don’t see any that I like.”
 Naturally, you’ll then ask them what sorts of things they like to watch on TV. You won’t ask them what kind of TV they want because you’re the sales professional and you know your products far better than they do. They’re coming to you for advice. They were ready to walk because they didn’t get what they needed.

You’ll follow up with a few more questions to determine the features they’re looking for; the size of the room the new TV will be in, any sound systems they may wish to attach, the lighting in the room. If there are lots of windows, some plasma TV’s will reflect light making it hard to see the screen properly. Of course, you will offer this advice only if it’s warranted. You will not overload your customer with facts and features that aren’t pertinent to them and their concerns.

The example I cited was from a retail situation, but “I’ll think about it” is not confined solely to the retail sector and the methods for dealing with it in a business to business scenario are exactly the same.  Practice the “obviously you...” phrase until it flows automatically and fluently whenever you hear an objection.  Consider which questions you might then ask your customers to find out what their needs are and role play them.

“I’ll think about it” needn’t be the kiss of death. If you always treat it as a request for more information, it becomes an opportunity to make a successful sale.