I have to check with …

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Let me check with my spouse first.

Tron Jordheim
ISS

How many times have you talked to a prospective renter who told you, “I have to check with my spouse before making a commitment”? How many times have you said this to a sales person? Isn’t it the greatest stall tactic ever invented? Have you ever had a sales person call your bluff on this one?

Wait a minute, you say, in your household you and your spouse share decision making and check with each other before committing to expenses or something significant like a lease on a storage unit. And as a sales person you would not want to interfere with your clients’ and prospects’ marital politics by telling someone to make a decision or a spending commitment without agreement from their spouse.

What I am telling you is that your prospects are betting you have neither the skill nor the courage to challenge them when they say…”I need to check with my spouse”. Many times selling is like a poker game. When someone lays down the spouse concern, they are betting you will fold. If we study this betting strategy, you will see it is full of holes. Let’s study family politics for a minute and see what we can learn from it.

Women tend to be the ultimate decision makers as far as household purchases, decorating and remodeling are concerned. So when a woman tells you she needs to check with her husband, this is almost surely a poker tactic. Most men would rather hit themselves on the thumb with a hammer than have to spend a day or several days moving things in and out of a storage unit. If a man is talking to you about storage, either his need is immediate, or his wife has determined that their need is immediate. So if a man tells you he needs to check with his wife first, he is probably bluffing. It was in all likelihood his wife who told him to find a storage unit in the first place.

Most storage buyers begin to look for storage after they have already decided they need one. Most couples have already discussed their plans and how storage will fit into the picture, before they start talking to you about pricing, sizes and availability. This means that the spouses have most likely already decided what and when they are going to store. The only decision that is left is the where.

What you have to consider in family politics is the risk of making or not making a decision. So where is the risk for the person in making or not making a decision about storage? If the spouses have already decided most of what they need to decide about their storage plans, then the person you talk to is going to get in trouble for NOT making a reservation or NOT renting right away. Their conversation will go like this. Spouse A says, “Honey I talked to the storage place and got their rates. It sounds like they have the size we need and I think we can afford it” Spouse B says, “Did you get us a unit?” Spouse A says, “Not yet.” Spouse B says, “Well why not? What are you waiting for? Do you want to waste all day with this? What are you waiting for?”
Now it doesn’t matter which gender which spouse is. The exchange will be the same. So it is your job to keep the peace in your prospects’ households by helping the spouses you talk to make a reservation and complete the rental process whenever possible.

Now if the spouses have not talked with each other about their storage needs, then the risk is in making the reservation or renting the unit. You can’t just show up out of the blue and announce that your family now has a storage unit unless it will be a pleasant surprise.

Your job as a sales person is to ask more questions when someone tells you they are not ready to buy from you, no matter which card they play. Your questioning process will determine if the card your prospect is playing is a real reason, or a bluff. Here are the three questions to ask when someone throws down the spouse concern card:
1. Have you already talked about your storage needs?
2. Have you pretty much decided when you will need to store?
3. Have you already decided what you will be storing with us?

If you get a yes for each of these questions, you must then say, “Great. I can save you a lot of trouble by setting a unit aside for you. Wouldn’t it be nice just to tell you spouse you’ve got everything taken care of. And since availability is somewhat limited right now, the best way I can help you is to put a hold on that unit, how do you spell your first name?” And begin filling out the lease or the reservation form. If you do not take this strategy and let your prospect slip away, you may very well lose the rental. If you go for the reservation or rental, the spouse you talked to will look like a hero when he or she comes home and presents your facility and its great value.

If you get a no for each question, then you are to arrange a time when spouse A can bring spouse B in for a site tour. You can set it up this way. “Great. I think your spouse will really like storing here. The best thing to do is to bring him or her in for a quick tour. I can show him or her ____(whatever feature the person you are talking to likes). When can you both come in? Is morning or afternoon better?” If you do not go for the joint appointment, you may very well lose this rental.

Don’t get snookered by the spouse concern. It is a great opportunity for you to rent a unit. Don’t fold your cards. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by calling your prospect’s bluff. Now that you know how, practice it until you get great at it. Email me at my address below and let me know how this strategy works for you. Good luck and good selling!

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.