If You Feel Under Pressure to Sign the Order, Remember That You are The Customer and are in Control.

If you are satisfied on all points of your purchase, there is no reason why you shouldn’t sign an order at the first appointment. Problems arise when the buyer has been put under pressure to sign before they are sure of the decision.

Salespeople always want the deal signed on the day and ‘good’ salespeople will not leave the house until they have tried every possible closing tactic and brought the price down to its absolute lowest.

This makes sense for efficiency.  Commission-only salespeople are paid the same for a sale regardless of how many appointments it takes. If second and third appointments are required, that reduces the time available for new leads.

That isn’t the customer’s problem though. While I do believe that it is acceptable to sign on the first appointment if all questions are answered and you are satisfied with every aspect, there is no reason that you should.

Every time a salesperson leaves a customer, he is required to report the outcome to the sales manager who will want to know why he failed to secure the sale. Those sales managers do not accept excuses.

It is not realistic to expect that every consultation will result in a sale, but it feels like that when the call is made. It is a horrible conversation and the sales manager will always make the salesperson feel that he has not done enough. No matter what reason is given for a no sale, the manager will have an answer for what could have been done. This can erode the confidence of a salesperson and is frustrating.

It is understandable that the salesperson does everything he can to convince the customer to sign rather than face this conversation.

WHY DOES THE SALESPERSON NEED YOU TO SIGN ON THE DAY?

• He is under pressure from his sales manager to sign on the day.

• He feels like a failure if he has not managed to sell.

• It affects his conversion rate and possibly the leads that he is given.

• Good leads or walk ins are given to the person most likely to convert so it is competitive.

• The salesperson knows that if he does not stop your buying cycle, you may meet a salesperson that impresses you and convinces you to buy before he gets back to you.

• He knows that once you are not with him, that you will forget everything he said.

• He knows that you are most influenced by the last person you meet and will remember what they say more than what he said.

• If the customer shows your design to another salesperson at another company, they will find a way of criticising the design and undermine him.

• The next salesperson will undermine him with criticism of his design or company.

• Experience tells us that customers rarely come back once they have finished the appointment.

• If a salesperson had to see everyone twice, he could only see half the number of customers.

• If he has travelled to see you, he will consider it a waste of time and money to come back again.

• He knows that if he does not sign it, the ‘pitch and miss’ team may pick it up and he will not earn any money when he’s done all the work.

• He knows that while he is with you, the brain chemicals are at work and will subside within twenty minutes.

While you are with the salesperson your brain chemistry has taken over the decision role.

You need to come away from it so that you can look at your quotes. I promise you, that you will not lose anything and are more likely to gain. It is different if you want a piece of furniture seen at a shop that is on sale because it is end of range or ex-display. It may not be there when you go back.

Your home improvement product will be made to measure for you. It is not going to disappear. If you wait, you are likely to be offered a better price but the main reason for waiting is to make sure that your decision is made for the right reasons. While you are with the salesperson, having a great time, you feel confident that you have made the right choice. Because he is there validating your choice, there is more chance of making a mistake or paying too much. Think about it overnight or several days. Take as much time as you need.

Your brain chemistry will have stopped being active and the good feelings that you have had from your meeting will have dissipated. You will not remember the little seeds that he planted into your mind and you can review your quotes objectively.