ClientPoint Blog

How to close sales with non-committal clients

Written by admin | Aug 15, 2013 4:00:00 AM

Anyone who works in sales - whether they are selling a product or a service - will have experienced this; suddenly, a buyer who was very enthusiastic about making a purchase is avoiding making a decision to buy. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you\'ve put in a lot of time and effort into laying the groundwork and you were expecting to make a sale.

So why do prospective clients avoid making buying decisions?
One theory, which does have some merit, is that the client has changed his/her mind and is too polite to say no. Often you can feel this change in attitude. A prospective client that was very willing to commit, suddenly becomes indecisive. It may be that you\'ve arranged to meet or make contact, only for the potential buyer to fail to show up. Sometimes, the customer does not try to conceal their change in attitude, but still will not give a firm reply stating that they do not want to make the purchase.

But then that doesn\'t explain every single lost customer. Some remain enthusiastic, and you get the impression that they realize the purchase will be good for them. So why do they still not commit? Why, when your gut is telling you they\'re still interested, do they fail to process a payment or sign on the dotted line?

To get to the bottom of this, we have to see things from the buyer\'s perspective.
You see a product that piques your interest - a new operating system for example. It could be very useful for you and it would be significantly more useful than the operating system you have currently installed on your PC. Your head is telling you that this new OS would be a great idea.

But along with a new operating system, comes a new learning curve. You feel very comfortable with the one you have installed and you\'re reluctant to make the change. You have everything just the way you like it. Even if this new operating system can do very impressive things that would save you a lot of time.

When we are selling, we need to remember this feeling. Is it any wonder that some potential customers don\'t follow-though when they feel like this?

What if the software company offers to help you through the change? What if they\'d offered to teach you how to use the new operating system, how to navigate it and promise continuing support should you become stuck? Would you feel more inclined to buy then?

The chances are that you would. And that\'s how our clients feel when they are delaying. If you show interest in your clients, and promise to walk them through the change, they may be much more receptive when it comes to finalizing the deal. You can also help to reassure them that the transition will be worth the pain, by showing them how much this new product can change their lives. If you do this, it will drastically improve your chances of selling.

********************

For information on how to create and manage amazing proposals using our cloud-based proposal management software, please call us at 888-972-7375 or click here to email us.