Friday, September 14, 2007

Unstuck the Staller

You know the type - they hem and haw through all your follow-up phone calls and just can't seem to make a decision. Phone call after phone call, meeting after meeting, and you're no closer to a deal. What can you do to get them to take action? Try this advice from author and speaker Dianna Booher:
Offer guarantees
"Stallers typically suffer from indecisiveness," explains Booher. "Create opportunities for the indecisive to touch, see, feel, and experience your product or service. Provide all the possible evidence of results. Put the indecisive in touch with references who can offer assurances. Delay payment options until the buyer has opportunity to sample your service and trust that you will not deliver and then run and hide."
Help the indecisive to pass the buck
"Once you determine your Staller is incapable of making a decision no matter what guarantees you offer, help him to pass the decision off to others, for example, his boss, a team of colleagues such as a task force, or even a subordinate 'who needs to develop judgment.' If the would-be target is a task force, volunteer to help get the group organized. Yes, generally, it is tougher to sell to a committee, but you have a better chance of selling to an action-oriented committee than a stalled individual," says Booher.
You probably have a few Stallers clogging up your pipeline right now. So, get in gear and put this advice to work for you right away.
-- Dianna Booher, founder of Booher Consultants, is a contributor to Top Dog Sales Secrets. She delivers keynotes and training on business communication.

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