Rats!
Eliminate those rats from your selling situations

“I like your stuff, but I want to shop around first.” Rats. They’re interested, but they don’t buy. In short, they’re going to visit the person you hate the most, your biggest competitor. Big rats!

When the prospect says they’ll be back or that they’ll call you, what do you say?

Better say your prayers, because the odds are that they won’t return, UNLESS you try “the five question” method.

Create a list of five questions you wish you could ask your competition. They need to be questions designed to point out the inappropriateness of their product as compared to yours. They need to be questions that would make the competition squirm.

So what do you say to the customer who says he wants to shop around?

“Great,” you say. “Mr. Johnson, we’ve found that when our prospects go shopping, they’re not always equipped with the best questions to ask in order to make the most informed decision. So, we’ve prepared some questions I’d like you to ask at the places you visit.”

Make a firm appointment for the prospect to return and give him his anti-competition sales questionnaire as he leaves.

Here’s a note of reality: The prospect may be lying when he says he’ll be back and is leaving for another reason. Here are the BIG SIX real reasons this happens:

1. They don’t like you.
2. They don’t trust you.
3. There’s something wrong with your product or company.
4. They don’t like how they were treated.
5. They’re uncomfortable about something.
6. They think they can get a better deal.

When the prospect says he’s going to keep looking around, the bottom line is that you haven’t convinced him yet.

If you put the “five question” piece in their hands to use as they shop, it’s 10 times more likely they’ll return.

If you give your prospect the “five question” piece and they don’t return as promised, you are in one of the “BIG SIX.” Ultimate rats.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.

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