One of the hardest objections to respond to is, “I need to talk with my husband/wife.” After all most of us would want to do the same thing, right?
As a sales professional you don’t know for sure if your customer will make the decision on his or her own, so it’s your job to try a few things before you pack up and leave.
The objection can take several forms. “Spouse” may be the actual spouse, or it might be a daughter, father, friend or neighbor.
This is what we refer to as the singlelegger call: only one of two or more decision- makers are present. However, there are some acceptable ways to respond that might earn you the immediate sale.
Whether it is you, a receptionist, dispatcher, or support staff who takes the call, there must be thought put into how it is handled.
You must train, monitor and coach any employee who is likely to answer the phone to make sure the right approach is being used on every incoming call.
Here’s a suggested script:
“Sure we can help you with that. Let me ask you a few questions and we’ll schedule a Comfort Advisor to meet with you.”
(Ask caller for name, address, phone number—all important contact information— and a description of the problem or need.)
“I see that Rich is available to meet with you. He’ll arrive on time and will go through a quick survey of your home. He’ll ask you some questions and then show you some options. This takes about an hour, depending on your questions. We also suggest that you invite anyone else who might also have questions. That way everyone’s questions can be answered while he’s there.
“Would Tuesday at 10:00 AM or Wednesday at 5:00 PM be better for you and anyone you want to have there?”
Notice I avoided the potentially offensive “Are you the only decision-maker?” approach. If you ask this question, it is potentially off-putting to women customers who have been overlooked in the past by eager salesmen assuming that “She won’t make the decision.” Don’t make this mistake. Don’t assume a woman is a single-legger who needs to “talk with her spouse.” You’ll find that the majority of single-leggers are women.
My seminar participants have said that if they are talking to just one person it’s likely to be the married woman or single woman.
Often the wife gets “stuck” with staying home to meet with the sales guy to “gather information.” Some couples set this up to avoid quick decisions.
If it’s a single woman it’s no surprise since 27% of households are headed by women, which is four times what it was in 1950.
Women’s buying power has grown and nearly one-third of all women out earn their husbands. They will spend money on things that had formerly been “male only.”
Home Depot holds classes for women who want to learn how to use power tools in home remodeling. Harley Davidson has a Web page devoted to women bikers. More than 10% (over 23,000) of all Harley’s are sold to women.
My point is women have money and will make a buying decision.
If you tried to make an appointment convenient to any decision-makers, but you still arrive to a single-legger. There is a lot you can and should still do. Here are some guidelines:
If it is the single-legger woman and she seems interested and engaged, then sell to her as if she will make the decision without her partner. If she seems disengaged and/or won’t respond to your questions, then consider just taking measurements and scheduling a return appointment.
If she says “I need to talk with my husband.” You can reply with, “Sure, I can appreciate that. Some of my customers choose to call their husbands while I’m here so that I can answer any questions they might have that we didn’t go over. That can save time and frustration. Would you like to do that?” Many times she will and then proceed to sign the agreement.
As an example, I recently spent time with a salesman who told me about calling on a single woman who said she had to talk with her daughter before she could decide.
The salesman responded with, “Sure, I understand. I suppose you trust her judgment then?”
“Yes, I do,” she replied.
“I was just wondering who taught her how to make good decisions?” he asked.
“Well I did…” she answered.
He said he sat there for a few seconds and she picked up the pen and said, “I guess I don’t really need to talk to my daughter about this after all.”
What about a single-legger husband? I’m grinning as I write this because I can make a case for this being a tougher challenge than when you’re dealing with the wife. If a man says he needs to talk with his wife, then he probably does.
And please, don’t be discouraged if she or he does have to discuss this with “the other.” Just make sure you follow up with them. They are going to buy from someone, and your sticking with them will increase the odds that it will be you.
Good Selling.
Tom Piscitelli is president of T.R.U.S.T.® Training and Consulting. For more information on how his System Selling In-Home Sales Call Training DVD, CD and Self-Study Workbook can help you sell more jobs at higher margins and higher prices go to www.sellingtrust.com
