Data-Driven Selling By Sales Insights Lab

“I Want to Think It Over” Tip #1: Avoid “think it overs” in the first place with value.

When a customer says, "I want to think it over," in many cases what they're really saying is, "I haven't seen enough value from this conversation to feel confident about moving forward right now."

While we can certainly deal with “think it over” objections once we hear them (more on that later), the most important part of the sale is to actually avoid hearing this phrase in the first place.

“I Want to Think It Over” Tip #2: Ask about decision-making up front.

One of the biggest mistakes that salespeople make is failing to discuss the prospect’s decision-making process early on in the sales conversation. Then, when they go for the close, they're caught completely off guard by some additional steps that the prospect wants to take before making a decision.

“I Want to Think It Over” Tip #3: Don’t react. Pause.

Let’s say you did a strong job up front and created lots of value for the prospect. You even discussed the decision-making process early on. But the prospect still says, “I want to think it over.”

Don’t react. Pause. Slow it down.

“I Want to Think It Over” Tip #4: Acknowledge with a softener.

When a prospect gives an objection like “I want to think it over,” they’re automatically expecting a salesperson to push back. They’ve been in enough sales situations to know how the conversation usually goes.

What we want to do is actually flip that entire expected interaction on its head. The first thing you should do after you pause is to acknowledge what they said with what I like to call a “softener”—basically a compliment. Simply say something that acknowledges what they just said in a really nice way. Convey to them that you think their objection is reasonable and that it’s OK.

“I Want to Think It Over” Tip #5: Clarify their why.

We want to understand why the prospect wants to think it over. Most salespeople are going to push back on “think it overs” with discounted pricing or by saying something really salesy and cheesy like, "Well, I can only hold the pricing for today" or, "I can only give you this great deal for the next few days."

It might sound something like this:

Pause. “That totally makes sense. Can you help me understand why you say that?”

Or you might say:

Pause. “Totally fair. Help me understand what your next steps are going to be to figure out whether this is a fit or not.”

Now you've taken all the pressure off them. They don't feel like they're in a confrontational situation. Give them an opportunity to explain why they want to think it over, and get some clarity into what their next steps might be.
           
Ask a number of follow-up questions here to really understand what their concerns are. Get all their worries on the table and really isolate them so you can either solve them, or at least hold the sale together with some clear next steps.

So, there you have it. Now you know how to deal with a customer who says “I want to think it over.” Which part of this approach did you find most useful for your own selling strategy? Be sure to share in the comments section to join the conversation.