Over my 30 years in the shed business, I’ve heard about every excuse or customer objection that exists. In fact, I had a customer objection board behind my desk that had all the common objections, such as “I have to think about it,” “I need to speak to my spouse,” “I don’t have the money,” etc.
When a customer would tell me one of these objections, I would jokingly point to my list of objections and say that I already bought this excuse, and then I would get back to my sales presentation. I realize that this was probably a little too aggressive, but I was taught that a sale is always made: either the customer buys a shed, or you, the salesperson, buy an excuse. For the most part, this is a true statement. I finally figured out that to really get to the root of my customers’ needs, I needed to ask real questions and get to know my customers better.
The “I’m just shopping around” comment or objection has to be one of the most common objections that we all experience in shed sales. Early on in my career, I struggled when a customer said this to me. My response was usually “That’s fine, look around, and I’m here to help when you are ready.” Normally, I would not see those folks again.
I changed my strategy by turning a negative into a positive. Now when someone says that they are shopping around, I respond like this: “That’s awesome! You are actually my favorite type of customer because that tells me that you are ready to solve your storage problem. I’ve found that people who shop around usually have a reason; either they are unhappy with what they have, or they’re finally ready to level up.” The true beauty of this is that you turn stalling about a decision into readiness to buy.
I recently had an older gentleman stop by who had just moved to town. A lady who works for local planning and zoning recommended him to me, which I thought was pretty cool. I met with him three times within a week to nail down exactly what he wanted. Every time that we would meet, he would casually remind me that he was indeed shopping around but really liked what I offered. Finally, he told me that he and his wife were going to stop by on Saturday to purchase the shed. Saturday came and went without a visit from them.
On Monday, the gentleman stopped by and told me that they had found a shed that they liked, and it was slightly less than the price that I had. Their only issue was that the other company did not have a business license. I felt in my heart that I needed to go ahead and close this deal before another distraction was revealed. I told the gentleman the good news that I have an up-to-date business license and asked if both proposals were equally priced and laying side by side next to each other, which one would he and his wife choose? He told me that they would definitely choose me, although I was at a slightly higher price.
I simply asked him why he would choose me (this makes the customer realize, and repeat back to you the value that you bring to the table). By asking him that question, he stated that I came highly recommended, and my 30-year reputation was impressive. He also told me that I was so nice to work with and that he and his wife liked more about my shed than the others they looked at. Once he told me that, I asked a simple question: Based on what you just told me, would you like to go ahead and get on schedule so we can solve your storage problem? His answer was yes, let’s do that. Another wonderful customer who decided to trust me because I took a little extra time to work with them.
Another great close that I use when people tell me that they love my shed, but are still “shopping around,” is: Mr. or Mrs. Customer, if you lost something of value like your phone or car keys, and you found them in the first place that you looked, would you still continue looking for it? My customer always says no. I don’t say this to pressure the customer, but rather I use a little humor to get them to act, and I point out that indecision is the thief of opportunity. My customer has a problem, and I have the solution—let’s get it ordered.
Shed Nation, we all deal with the same objections that we must overcome to have success at the highest level. Asking questions is the answer to build rapport with the customer and to keep the sale moving forward. Remember, the customer normally has an invisible barrier that we as sales folks have to break through in order to earn their valuable business (no shortcuts).
The more intentional questions that we ask, and adding a little humor, increase the odds of making them happy customers. Again, the customer has the problem, and we offer the solution.
God bless, and let’s go sell some sheds!
