"Call me after the holidays..."

Jeffrey Gitomer is a one-man sales tornado...a kid from Philly who moved to Charlotte, NC and has started a (now) flourishing sales training/consulting mega-enterprise. He writes books, articles, does webinars, sales tours...the whole "ball of wax".

One of his better pieces is helping salespeople counter prospects who object with the line, "Call me after the holidays..." Jeffrey points out this this is not so much an objection as it is a stall (see stalled car illustration for the visual).

As he points out, a stall is worse than an objection. At least with an objection you can come back with a specific counter. With a stall, the salesperson has to bob-and-weave and dance around it...until a real objection surfaces.

Here are some of Jeff Gitomer's Top Seven Comebacks to a Holiday Stall:

1. Firm it up...whenever that may be. Ask, "When after the first of the year? Let me have the honor of buying your first "business-cup-of-coffee" in 2006. How's your schedule for Monday, January 2nd?"
2. Make the prospect put it in his/her daytimer. Ask, "Sure, that's great. Do you have your calendar handy? How about 10:00 AM on January 2nd?"
3. Tell them about your resolutions. "You know...I''ve made a New Year's resolution that I'm not going to let people such as yourself, who really need our service...delay (procrastinate) until after the first of the year."
4. Offer incentives and alternatives. Invent reasons not to delay. Make something up. Be creative.
5. Question them into a corner...and close them when they get there. "As we have discussed, you stated a pressing need for (Insert the pressing need that they have expressed in response to your expert questioning). What will be different after the holidays?
6. Drop in with holiday cheer. Use a small holiday plant, gift, home-baked cookies, etc. to get in the door now.
7. Be funny. Say, "You know...so many people have said to call after the first of the year that I'm booked until April. I do have some openings next week, however. How's Tuesday at 10:00 AM?"
8. Be funny, Part II. "What holiday?"

Reality Check. Jeffrey also points out that the success that you (the salesperson) has in dealing with a stall...is directly related to the quality of the relationship that you have built with the prospect/client. A weak relationship means that you wait until after the holiday. Or longer.

Moreover...if you have a preponderance of prospects who are putting you off with the Holiday Stall...you need some better prospects.

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[Onitsuka Tiger]

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