Don't Give Them Too Much Time to Think About It
How often do we come so close to buying something we really want or need and then change our mind at the last minute?
When I worked as a holiday rep, we used to do welcome meetings as soon as guests arrived at the hotel (or first thing the next morning). The goal was always to get people to book trips straight away. If we let them "go away and think about it", we knew there was a good chance they wouldn't come back to us.
In fact, we were told that if they needed to go up to their rooms to get cash (most people still used cash on holidays back then) or they needed to go to a cash point, we should go with them.
Why? Because we wanted to get financial commitment when they were at their most interested. And if you left them alone, they would often start talking themselves out of booking. Not because they didn't want to do the trips, but because doubts would creep in. They'd end up convincing themselves and each other that it was better to wait. Interest would wane, and it was hard to get it back.
But if we went with them to get the cash, we could keep their interest by getting them excited about the trips and making sure those doubts didn't take over.
I know this sounds like a sneaky tactic, but it's not. Rarely did guests regret booking the trips straight away because it meant the decision was made and they wouldn't miss out on the stuff they wanted to do. They could go off and relax knowing they had their tickets and itinerary sorted.
Other guests would go off, saying they wanted to think about it and would come back later. Most of the time they'd end up not booking anything and just doing their own thing. They would still have a good time. But occasionally, I'd get guests coming to me at the end of their holiday saying they wish they'd booked more trips because they'd heard other people talking about how good they were. They felt like they'd missed out.
And I think we've all felt like that at some point.
How often do we come so close to buying something we really want or need and then change our mind at the last minute? We convince ourselves that it's a good idea to wait. We make excuses for why we shouldn't commit straight away. Or we tell ourselves we'll definitely come back and do it later.
And then we don't come back.
The interest and excitement fade. Or we start making up reasons why we shouldn't buy. Or we just forget about it because we get busy with other things.
Most of the time it doesn't make a big difference. But sometimes we regret not doing stuff when we had the chance.
I wish I'd booked tickets to see Meatloaf when he was on tour in the UK. Instead, I talked my husband out of it, and we didn't book. He never toured again, and he died a few years later.
And there have been times I've put off buying something I wanted or investing in something for my business and then the price went up, or it was no longer on offer.
I'm not saying we should always buy without thinking about it. But I think if we're 90% sure it's a good decision, we can afford to trust ourselves a bit more.
And you need to make sure you don't lose those clients just when they're on the verge of buying.
Don't be scared to ask for the sale.
"Are you happy to go ahead with this?"
"Shall we get a date booked in now?"
"Would you like me to send you the invoice so we can get started?"
If they say they want to go away and think about it, ask if they have any specific concerns or questions. They might just need that extra bit of reassurance that it's the right decision.
And if you need help improving your sales process, book 90 minutes with me.
Lisa Slater
Lisa Slater
