Page 52 - GS131102

ChapterTitleEducation

Let merchants say no to you

Chasing maybes

In the ISO world, we face similar phrases every day from
merchants. The most common include variations of "Let
me think about it," "Can you come back later" and "Can
you leave some information that I can review?" All of these
phrases imply maybe.

We have all been there. You see an opportunity with what
appears to be a motivated merchant. The prospect seems
interested and is involved in the conversation. The time is
right to move to close the deal, and the individual responds
with some variation of maybe. Since we see opportunity,
this type of statement doesn't dampen our enthusiasm; we
think it's just part of the merchant's buying process.

Maybe the retailer wants to consider the offer and will ask
for something in writing. You leave a proposal and tell the
merchant you will call tomorrow. Maybe the prospect said
he or she needs to talk to a partner and asked you to call
back. You are sure the deal will close, and you leave happy.
After all, it's clear the merchant is interested, right? Wrong.
By Jeff Fortney
The next day you call, and the merchant is either busy or
Clearent LLC unavailable. You call again the following day, and there is
hen I was growing up, my mother had a no answer, or perhaps a staff member puts you on hold
way of saying something that implied one and comes back a few minutes later only to tell you the
thing, but clearly meant another. She often prospect is gone for the day.
W used this tactic when I would ask for a
treat or when we were arguing. You decide to stop by the business, and the merchant
avoids you or puts you off by saying he or she hasn't had a
Her two most common phrases were, "We'll see" and "Let chance to review the numbers or that the other partner in
me think about it." The latter was used when we were in the business hasn't been in. Two weeks pass. You are still
a store, and I would ask for a candy bar or a toy. "We'll calling, following up or stopping by. And still, no progress.
see" was her response when I asked if we could go to Ultimately, you put the merchant on the back burner, but
Disneyland or even the movies. Usually the topic would you have invested a significant amount of time chasing a
mysteriously change after her response, and again I often maybe.
would forget my original request.
Sound familiar? Even the best salesperson has chased a
When I was six or seven years old, I thought I had a few maybes in his or her time. However, accomplished
chance when my mom said such things, but in reality, she agents know that chasing maybes costs time that could be
was hoping I would forget and we would leave the store spent on real deals. They realize that maybe really means
without having to purchase something that was not on our no.
list. Eliminating indecision

One of my mother's favorite conversation stoppers was, You can learn a few lessons from their experiences that
"Let's talk about it with Dad." When she spoke those will help you avoid and even eliminate maybes. When
words, I realized that no matter how right I was, the votes a merchant responds with a maybe statement, rather
were against me. By the time I was eight, I knew all such than agree immediately to the request for delay, give the
phrases meant no. She just worded her answers to avoid prospect permission to say no.
arguments. It was a way to defer a decision, hoping my
attention would become diverted, which was normally the For example, perhaps a merchant asks you to leave a
case. proposal or written information. Try saying, "You must be

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