Ever had a buyer get confused? "I'm not sure if I want this one or that one!"

When that happens, it's vital that you take control of the situation or you will certainly lose the deal. So what is the right approach? Should you simply tell them what to do or give them time and space?

First, you're often put in this situation because you failed to do a good job fact finding before you presented the vehicle. And yet there are times when you've done a great job of fact finding and the customer still waffles on you. When that occurs, your best bet is to return to the fact finding information you collected earlier in the sales process and drive a little deeper.

Case Study

Larry had been in an accident with his year old Saab 9-3 and decided to trade out of it. He loved the way the car drove and he liked the sports car features it provided. But he also wanted a car that would allow him to carry more cargo and a dog for his bi-monthly trips to the beach house.

After fact finding, the sales consultant presented and demonstrated a 9-5 Wagon. The client loved it! But he also insisted on driving a new 9-3. He loved that too. He was torn between performance and handling on the 9-3, and the comfort and versatility of the 9-5 wagon. He said he needed time to decide. That's when the sales consultant utilized his fact finding skills, and a tool we call the Ben Franklin Balance Sheet.

Ben's Balance Sheet is simply a piece of paper with two columns. On one side, the consultant wrote 9-3 and on the other he wrote 9-5. Then together, he reviewed the things that were important to the customer and placed them on the balance sheet under the vehicle that best addressed the customer's needs and wants.

After adding up the totals in each column, the sales consultant went for the close: "Well Larry, since the 9-5 Wagon meets 7 out of the 10 things you were looking for in your next car, I think that's your best choice. Wouldn't you agree?"

If you'd like more ideas on how to improve your selling skills, enroll today in one of our many Sales Process courses.