Not making a decision can be a valuable behavior if you realize you aren’t making a decision and why. One of the worst things a sales person can be left with is a “think-it-over”. This is a vague response that typically is a statement that a decision won’t be made. If the salesperson doesn’t define it as a decision not to make a decision then it has two primary negative results. The first is that neither the salesperson nor the prospect have a clear idea of what the other means. The second is that it will waste more time than almost any other hang up in sales. Remember, a decision not to make a decision is OK as long as both the salesperson and the prospect are clear on what that means and why.

So why does it matter if you get a “think-it-over” without a clear understanding of what that means? Mostly it’s because without clear communication and understanding sales calls don’t turn out well. A “think-it-over” could mean the prospect needs to talk to another decision maker, it could mean that they want to speak to the competition, or it could be a polite no. All three of those things require different actions. What happens if one response is confused with another? Frequently irritation is the by-product. So, instead of defining what not making a decision is, we hazard a guess and squander an opportunity to deal with the indecisiveness. This is the reason why it also wastes time. Guessing is not a plan. Instead of a straight line we travel a crooked path to where we think the prospect might be going. There is nothing as frustrating or time consuming as a “think-it-over” that really means no and then trying to catch the prospect that is now hiding. The prospect knew the “think-it-over” was a no and therefore the process was over. The salesperson, not being on the same page, not only irritates the prospect, it wastes a whole lot of time.

So what qualifies as making a decision not to make a decision? First and foremost both you and the prospect know exactly what that means and agree to it. Not making a decision could be a no. You both know why they aren’t buying from you and part friends. Not making a decision could mean that a decision can’t be made because an outside variable needs to be defined, maybe another decision maker hasn’t been involved. You decide when and how to proceed with a prospect. There are a lot of cases where not making a decision is a viable behavior. In general, if you can clearly state why no decision was made and know if and when that will change, you have done a good job. You’re not going to irritate the prospect, you’ll save yourself time, and usually when you truly make decisions not to make decisions, you position yourself to get positive decisions.

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