In Sales, some people say that “No” is not the worst thing that you can hear from a customer.  The worst thing that you can hear is, “I will think about it…”, not as a polite way to decline, but rather as a clear statement of indecision.

Studies worldwide have revealed that nearly 50% of B2B sales opportunities are lost due to no decision.  Undoubtedly, this is a huge loss of productivity for all the parties involved, as both the sales representative and the customer will go through the entire process of purchasing, only for nothing to happen in the end.

Most salespeople would claim that their biggest rival in these cases, is not a competitor, but the buyer’s status quo.  Psychological studies have shown that when faced with a decision, most people tend to stick with the status quo.  This happens because, by nature, we consider change as costly, risky, and not safe.  And if we come to think about it, all that selling is all about is change.  Therefore, if the perceived benefits of a new or alternative solution don’t outweigh the perceived costs of changing their current state, people tend to take no action to change.

On the other hand, maintaining the status quo is not the only reason why a customer would prefer not to act.  We need also to take into consideration the client’s inability to reach to a decision, which may be due to a number of reasons.  There are times when customers don’t know what to choose, because there is too much information and too many options presented to them.  In other cases, clients feel that they don’t have the right amount or the desired quality of information that will allow them to decide.  Moreover, the lack of assurance about the outcome of their decision and the perception that probably is not going to work for them is another reason that is connected to indecision.

The common denominator of all the above for the customers, is the feeling of fear.  Fear of doing something that would lead to a mistake and to a negative outcome.  Then, what is the best alternative in this case?  Do nothing!  Because when you do nothing, for sure there are not going to be any mistakes.  So, the question here, is what a salesperson can do, in order to help the customer overcome all those fears and proceed to reach a decision, whichever that may be?

Without a doubt, trust must be built between seller and buyer.  Customers should feel that the salesperson is focused on meeting their needs and that they are providing complete and accurate information.  If trust is built and the flow of meaningful information is there, it is highly probable that the level of the decision-reaching confidence of the customer will grow.