How to Respond to "Someone Else Makes That Buying Decision"
SCENARIO: You're selling to a new prospect. Early in your first conversation, the prospect surfaces the objection: "Someone else makes that buying decision."
You say: "No problem. Just out of curiosity--" and then provide a response that moves the sale forward.
The poll below has ten responses. Pick the one that will NOT move the sale forward.
CLICK for the correct answer »
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The response that WON'T work is "Could you please set up an appointment for me?" The reason is simple. It's too early in the sales cycle to ask for a favor. You haven't proven yourself, so there's no reason for the prospect to put his or her own reputation at risk by "endorsing" you to another employee.
By contrast, the other responses all move the conversation forward in several different ways. Most of the responses probe for some information that can help you get an appointment with the actual decision-maker:
- "What can you tell me about them?"
- "What do you think are their priorities with regard to this?"
- "How would you suggest that I interact with them?"
- "What can you tell me about them?"
- "What is the best way to get on their calendar?"
- "What is your advice for me on the best way to approach them?"
- "What are their key initiatives?"
- "What will get their attention?"
- What are some of the priorities that YOU are working on?"
- What is YOUR understanding of the priorities?"
The correct responses above came from by good friend and colleague Barry Rhein, who is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and high energy people in the sales training field. He's the source of one of this blog's most popular posts: The Ultimate Cold Calling Tool
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