In my continuing series on the Sandler Rules, let’s talk about Sandler rule number four, “A decision not to make a decision is still a decision“.
What this means is that the lack of an answer is actually an answer. The prospect has decided that their answer is no, but hasn’t told the salesperson. The prospect is stalling to avoid unpleasantness for the salesperson.
When I first started with Sandler, I would experience a version of the stall. It sounded like this, "I'm not ready to commit right now." Originally, I thought this wasn't a decision and I believed that a prospect would reach back out to me and commit later.
I’ve come to believe that salespeople should be looking for the truth. A yes or no should be the only two words you accept as the truth. A response that allows the decision to be put off without a genuine reason is actually a 'no' in disguise. And whether it is a no for now or a no forever, you need to recognize that it is a no.
I've learned a good way to deal with this; I give the prospect permission to say no. After all, if I want the truth, I have to be able to accept the truth.
If you learn anything through this post, I hope it’s this: a non-committal answer is still an answer. It might not have been the desired outcome, but a decision was still made.
