Clayton has a post on his Salesopedia blog that references some recent survey results from their highly-visited site. One result jumps off the screen:
What’s the toughest objection?
Indifference …….. 64.7%
Price …………….. 26.5%
Timing …………… 8.8%
Isn’t that the truth? We used to work for a sales trainer who always stressed that indifference is the worst outcome of a sales call. Salespeople know what to do with a yes (after writing that, I wondered if there are salespeople who don’t know what to do with a yes…), they know what to do with a no, but no one is certain of what to do with a maybe.
As a sales manager, there is no worst qualifying outcome. If the prospect cannot get to a yes or no at this moment in time, the sales rep on the account best be able to define what items still need to be qualified. If the rep does not know, you have bigger problems on your hands.