Overcoming Objections: "The Alliance"

Many husbands and wives (and other partners) make a secret agreement before talking to a salesperson. This alliance is formed before the salesperson (you) ring their doorbell at their home (if you sell in the home), or before they walk into your retail store (if you sell in a retail environment), or before your phone call (if you sell in the home), or before they come to your timeshare presentation (if you sell timeshares).

The alliance is formed in a manner similar to the following:

HUSBAND: "Now honey, let's not be pressured into making a decision today. We'll just tell the salesperson we need to think about it, okay?"

WIFE: "Yes, you're right. We'll just refuse to buy no matter what and we'll tell the person we need some time to think about it."

HUSBAND: "Okay, that's our plan, then."

Often, this alliance is so rigidly formed that your prospects will indeed refuse to buy from you, even if you have the right product for the prospect at the right time and at the right price. So how do you handle this unstated objection?

One of the most effective techniques for handling this secret objection is to preempt it by talking about the objection early in your sales appointment (long before you get to the closing step in the selling process). You can bring the "alliance" into the conversation in a manner similar to this:

"Dawn and Brad, I know a lot of the couples I work with have a private chat before I come to their home for our meeting. And that chat often goes something like this: "Honey, let's not buy tonight no matter what, and let's tell the sales guy that we need time to think about it."

And then the other partner agrees, and says something like, 'Yes, absolutely, I agree honey. We'll tell the salesperson we want to think about it.'

Now I don't know if you had a chat like this before I arrived at your home today. That's your business. But I want to make this proposal to both of you:

I propose that we all put forth our best efforts during our time together today. I'll do my best to understand your situation, and you do your best to explain what you need from me, my company, and from our widgets. At the end of our appointment today, I'll ask you if you want what we offer. If you do, say 'yes', and if you don't, simply say 'no.' Is that fair?"

The great majority of your prospects will agree with you, and that gets the monkey off your back. This can pave the way for a smooth interaction, and engaged prospects. It's a great sales momentum builder, because the prospect will be inclined to not automatically announce that they need to think about your proposal. You'll still hear that objection from prospects, but you'll hear it less frequently if you use the technique as outlined above.

Occasionally your prospects will say something like "We never buy right away; we always think about it." If you hear that from a prospect, you can say, "Yes, I've heard that before from clients, and I think I understand why salespeople say that. Nobody likes to be taken advantage of. So can we agree that we'll all put our best efforts on the table today during our meeting?"

This is your second closing question. You're not closing on the sale, you're closing on the agreement to work together effectively.

Then, when it comes time to close the transaction, you can again address the alliance with this prospect if you can offer a discount to make a decision:

"Now I know you folks are cautious about buying something without thinking about it. I understand that. I also understand that my customers want to get the best deal possible. So since you were so nice to tell me up front that you would need to think about this purchase, I'm going to offer you some special pricing that I only offer to people like yourselves. The reason I'm offering this special pricing is because my time is valuable, and I know yours is valuable also. So I'd like to get a yes or no from you today, rather than have to play phone tag or send emails back and forth or drive back to your house tomorrow. So, for us to get this order written today, here's my offer..."

And then you continue with your closing routine. Again, most of your prospects will buy your argument (if you've been successful at positioning your product to meet the prospects needs and if you've successfully addressed all other objections).

Addressing The alliance isn't appropriate for every sales scenario of course, but it is often the best way to beat the alliance.

Don't forget the alliance!

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.