Call Me After The Holidays

  by Ann Barr

Unless you are selling products that can be given as Christmas gifts, the month of December may present a unique and difficult challenge for you.

The challenge is not an objection—it’s worse. It's “The Stall”—otherwise known as a put-off. A stall is worse than an objection, because you need to find the real objection before you can proceed.

Has this ever happened to you?

You call a prospect or customer in November or early December, and you hear:

“We won't be buying anything until after the first of the year."

"Call me after the holidays."

 "We’re going to wait until after the first of the year."

 Three Ways to Handle the Stall

 1. Get more information.

 Ask: "Will something change after the first of the year that will prevent you from buying?"

 Prospect's answer: “Well, no, not really."
Your response: “Good! Let’s process the order now and we’ll deliver
and bill you for it after the first of the year. Which day after the holidays
were you thinking of taking delivery?”

 2. Ask for the order.

Prospect tells you: “We won’t be ordering until after the holidays.”
Your response: "I understand. What day after the first of the year would you like to take delivery?"

Or: "I understand. We can deliver the cartridges now and bill you after the first of the year. How does that sound?"

Either of these will prompt the prospect to tell you what the real objection is.

Sometimes, the reason for the stall could be that the prospect is afraid of taking a risk. She or he may be thinking, “Suppose this cartridge doesn’t work well in our printer—then I’ll be in trouble.”

If that is what is causing the prospect to hesitate, you can say:

—“If you're concerned about whether or not it will work for you, don't worry—you can always return it. We want you to be happy.”

—Or, “We sell lots of these to companies like yours. But if for any reason your company is not satisfied with the cartridge, there is a 100% guarantee. We offer a full refund or replacement.” (These statements provide peace of mind.)

3. Be pro-active before you encounter a stall. Offer Incentives:

 Create a holiday special

 Have a one-week sale in December

 Create urgency: "The price will increase after the first of the year.
      When you order now, you will save $24.00 on this product."

It will be easier to handle a stall when you have established a good relationship with the customer. And if you can successfully handle a stall, you will keep the holidays from becoming your slow sales season.

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Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has

written eight books on sales and marketing
available on her web site www.sellingsupplies.com