A woman we’ll call "Debra" who sells business services had a recurring “sales pain” that an informal poll of other salespeople confirms is a widely experienced problem.
Debra suffers from anxiety attacks every time she turns in a deal.
Why? Because about 25% of the time, the new “client” calls her the next day (but usually not during working hours) and leaves a voice mail backing out. Typically, they would say that they had had second thoughts and decided not to keep their commitment.
Her prospects were experiencing a psychological aftereffect in the buying process known as “remorse”. Debra is trained that when she gets the order, she is supposed to exit stage left. The theory being that if she stayed, the buyer might have second thoughts and she would lose the sale. Typically, the buyer felt that Debra's quick exit sent the message that “I just made a mistake”. Combined with some unresolved concerns, prospects became uncomfortable enough to back out.
Prescription:
Give the prospective client their God-given right to say "No". Although considered career suicide, this freedom will give you an opportunity to save the sale when a buyer is on the fence. Try saying something like this:
“I really appreciate your business and look forward to working with you. Before I leave, however, are you sure you’re comfortable with what we’ve discussed? If there’s anything that you’re not sure about, this would be a good time to discuss it.”
Most of the time the buyer will reinforce her decision to do business with you. If she does bring up an issue, you will be there to deal with it. Avoid buyer's remorse and your anxiety attacks!