What if?

Here’s a great selling tip.  Let’s say you’ve got an indecisive buyer in front of you who isn’t actually going to make the final arrangements (you’re dealing with her, but her husband or boyfriend is going to buy it and “surprise” her with it.)  She’s got the paralysis of analysis.  She just can’t decide between this one or that one.

Interrupt the discussion about the merits of one or the other.  This could go on forever.  Grab the one design that you think she favors and simply say, “if he came in here, bought this and “surprised” you with it, you’d be pretty thrilled wouldn’t you?”  This is what I call a “gut-check.”  Another good example of a gut-check is when you say, “if I took two of these three choices away because they were sold to someone else, which would you miss the least?”  Or a bit of a shocking gut-check is when you say, “I’m making the choice for you and it will be THIS one.  Now, how does that make you feel?”

The key is to help her imagine owning that design.  I like the first test-close the best.  It adds some discretion to the “giver” and reinforces that as a gift, it’s a huge bonus for her to have had some input to ensure it’s a selection she will enjoy.