Why We Must Avoid “Think-It-Overs” in Sales

In a selling situation, there are three possible outcomes:
1. The prospect is a fit,
2. The prospect is not a fit, or
3. Plan clear next steps

An “I’ll think about it and get back to you later” response from a prospect is not allowed.

Let me emphasize that these are the only three possible outcomes you want to accept from this day forward. That means that an “I’ll think about it and get back to you later” response from a prospect is not allowed.

This may sound harsh, but let’s look at the data. A nineteenth century German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus did thorough research on how quickly people forget information. In his seminal work, the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve shows that people, on average, begin forgetting information at an alarming rate within ten minutes. Within an hour, they have forgotten over half of the information just received. Within twenty-four hours, almost two-thirds of previously learned information is gone.

This means that when a prospect tells you, “This was a great meeting. Let me think this one over for the night,” what he really means is, “Give me a day to forget most of what we talked about.” Accepting an “I’ll think about it and get back to you later” response is simply killing your chances of closing the sale. This is not about putting pressure on your prospects; it’s about ensuring that a decision is made at the most informed moment—while you are still sitting there. Just like a tied game in many sports is not a possible outcome, it’s not allowed in sales either.

By Marc Wayshak, is the author of two books on sales and motivation and leads Sales Training in Boston.