Closing the Absent Hubby (One-Leggers)

I almost bought a $13,000 watch in a hotel lobby in Pittsburgh. Who does that? Now, don't misunderstand. I am not showing off. I am hardly in a position to casually toss $13K into a piece of men's jewelry. BUT DAMN this watch was cool. It was genuine moonrock! (Take that, watch collectors!)In the final analysis, it really wasn't about the watch at all, but about the salesperson. Have you ever been served so well, been so attentively sold, been so closely listened to and totally impressed by a salesperson, that you actually felt GUILTY not buying from him/her? Well if you attend our Sales Summit you know that we teach precisely that kind of deep listening and relationship building sales skills. This is what happened to me in Pittsburgh. When I found myself (unbelievably, astonishingly) reaching into my pocket and touching my credit cards, I knew I had a dilemma. I wanted this watch. Not necessarily because it was totally unique, but because this guy had put on a demonstration worthy of commission. Fortunately, I snapped out of the haze in time to conjure an objection: "Well, let me talk it over with the wife." Those of you who know me very well realize that this was an utter and complete lie. I was expecting too much of my salesperson, though. I was actually optimistic that he would overcome my objection and be right about it: that indeed this watch belonged with me. His reply? A surrender flag. What you probably know as a business card. What a let down. I have to confess that in the back of my mind, I knew he would do this. Why? Because in the real world (not one of my workshops), I have never met a salesperson who knows precisely how to handle this objection. I knew I'd be on my way out of the store without the watch in only a few moments. And I was. "Let me know what she says." Yeah, I'll do that. You stand here and hold your breath. Now, in the world of service contracting, we take on "One-leggers" (only one present spouse) daily. And, not surprisingly, we hear the spouse objection quite often. And the time has now come for me to blow the top off of this excuse for Technicians. That's right, EXCUSE. "Well she said she needed to talk to her husband." And did you try to get him on the phone? "Yes. She said he was unavailable." I see. There are two distinct problems with most technician's approach to the spouse objection: First, you believe she really DOES need to talk to him, and second, you ACTUALLY THINK you can one-call close the husband with consistency. You are the second-best salesperson in the first case, and an utter fool in the second. In the example above, when I found myself a little too close to making an impulse buy, I threw up the "wife" objection. I didn't need to talk to her. I wanted to stall. I wanted to breathe. I needed to think! And the smokescreen got me out of there. How many women or housewives are aggressive with you about the price of a job? I mean aggressive? Like a man is? "OK Bill you know I need you to sharpen your pencil here, right? Let's get this done, because you know I am not paying that price." Who says this? A WOMAN? Not usually. This is typically the posture of an alpha male or an empowered husband. But she says "husband" and you say "Call him." STOP. Stop the madness. STOP trying to close ABSENT hubby at the END of your service call. Stop believing the wife. IT IS THE PRICE. Try this: Early on in the one-legger call, ask, "Who, besides yourself, will you involve in your decisions about your system today?" It is important you use each element of the question, so that she doesn't feel as if you don't think she is capable of deciding. When she says "My husband," ask her if he is there. If not, ask if you could call him NOW, BEFORE or DURING the diagnostic, to get his input on the situation as well. I am suggesting that, in order to show hubby the value of your presence and professionalism, to forge a relationship with him even though he is not there, you will need to talk to him at least 3 or 4 different times. The wife SEES the cleanliness, orderliness, craftsmanship. She FEELS the courtesy, salesmanship, and respect. You are able to show her the value much more easily than him because she is there. What in the world makes you think one call at the close is enough for hubby? START HERE -->"Mr. Taylor? Matt from Appleton-Campbell Services. Mrs. Taylor was telling me a little bit about your water situation over the last few days and I wondered if you would explain your observations of the situation to me?" END HERE-->"Thanks for your time and I am sorry to have to interrupt. I may need to chat with you again once I get a little further down the line, will that be OK? Seriously. Stop complaining to me how hard it is to sell over the phone to the husband, and put in the effort. The one-call close is a loser.