The "I want to think it over" Close

by Tom Hopkins

You are guaranteed to hear a variation of the phrase “I want to think it over” from one out of every five new clients. Some of the variations you'll hear may be:

“I want to sleep on it.”

“I'll get back to you.”

“We'll review all the facts, then make a decision.”

“We never make a decision on the first visit.”

The exact words that are used matter little; what really matters is that you recognize the stall and are ready with this reply:

Phraseology: “That's fine, John. Obviously, you wouldn't take your time thinking this thing over unless you were seriously interested, would you? I mean, I'm sure you're not telling me that to get rid of me. So, may I assume you will give it very careful consideration? Just to clarify my thinking, what phase of this opportunity is it that you want to think over? Is it the quality of the service I'll render? Is it something I've forgotten to cover? Is it the color? Seriously, please level with me, could it be the money?”

A tip when using this strategy: Don't pause after the word “over” — if you do, a client is likely to answer “everything,” or “the whole idea of going ahead,” and you're dead in the water. What you want to do here is review what they've already agreed to. In other words, you're weeding out all the other objections and narrowing it down to the most common final objection, which is the money. Handle the money objection and begin reclosing.