Ahh prospects…sometimes you love ’em, and sometimes well…you fill in the blank.

Have you ever spent a ridiculous amount of time romancing a prospect, and for some mysterious reason, they don’t buy?

Everything looks good. They like what you offer. They trust you. They raise almost no objections during the process.

But still…nothing happens when it’s time to sign.

When should you use pressure to help your prospects to decide to act?

Take a look:

1. Don’t Be Like the Stereotypical Used Car Salesman!

Sorry – no offense to you car salesmen! But that’s what pops into most people’s minds when they think of sales.

Pressure comes almost right away…and despite obvious evidence not to buy.

“What? The car doesn’t start? That never happens! Let us give you $3000 off today.”

“Hang on a second. I need to talk to my manager.”

They’ll try to sell to you without knowing a thing about what you want or why you want to buy.

That’s the wrong time to pressure your prospect in every case!

2. Identify Your Prospect’s Motivation for Buying

The reality is prospects buy when they’re ready. If you apply deadline or price discount pressure, they’re more likely not to act.

Say you’ve clearly identified their reason for acting. In this case, let’s say their sales have ground to a halt.

You know what you have solves their problem. Instead of interrogating your prospect or using strict deadlines, discuss how your solution makes their business better.

“You know, if you buy our solution, we can have your sales back to normal in 6 months. You wouldn’t have to think about closing  your doors, cutting salaries and benefits, or layoffs. Instead, you could relax and work more on strategic decisions at your company.”

See how that builds on their existing motivation? Benefits like that sound pretty good to someone with flat or nose-diving sales!

3. The Best Pressure? No Pressure At All!

Got a prospect who says,”Just so you know – we’re not buying anything today”?

Respect that.

Respond with, “Okay. That’s cool. No pressure to buy today. What brings you in?”

Many times prospects walk away with:

  1. A more positive impression of you
  2. Something they decided to buy because you respected them

4. …But You Still Ask for the Sale and Address Objections

These are not pressure tactics. Your prospect still needs to know your solution does exactly what they need at the right price.

And of course you have to ask for the sale. But again, do it in a way that doesn’t add pressure:

“All right. That takes care of all your concerns. Looks like you’re ready, so let’s get to the paperwork.”

Do those things, and you can expect happier prospects and better close ratios.

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