Somewhere in your pipeline or prospect database is a potential opportunity that just won’t become an actual sale, no matter how hard you try.

Your prospect likes you, your company, and your solution. Great. Yet they are not moving forward in the sales process. You’re feeling good vibes all over until it’s time to close the sale. That’s when you hear, “Maybe, but not right now.”

Wait, what?

The good news is that someone who tells you “not right now” is someone who sees the value in the offering. They may even want to move forward. But a mysterious, unspoken factor stands in the way. The not-so-good news is that no matter how hard you push the sale, you get nowhere.

Well, it turns out that factor isn’t mysterious at all. In a recent survey of 3,119 organizations that have recently acquired office technology, the single biggest reason for delaying a purchase is a concern about committing financially.

In a recent survey of 3,119 organizations that have recently acquired office technology, the single biggest reason for delaying a purchase is…

Here’s what your customer could be thinking:

• Maybe we can keep doing what we are doing for a little longer to save
• Maybe we can go without the new functionality
• Maybe repair would be better than replacement
• Maybe transitioning out of my current lease would be too hard or too expensive

Maybe, maybe, maybe. All these uncertainties probably existed from day one in the sales process, but because they weren’t uncovered upfront, your seemingly well-executed sales approach comes to a grinding halt. And try as you will, you can’t get it going again.

Here’s why: overcoming “not right now” is more about how you start the sales process than how you ultimately handle the objection later.

For example, are you asking discovery questions to probe into your prospect’s financial concerns? Office equipment technology providers are usually great at identifying hardware and software needs, equipment issues, document management flow, and even toner requirements. But identifying financial concerns often falls to the end of the process.

If you want to avoid having interested customers ultimately become stuck in the process, here are three important questions to ask early in the sales conversation:

• Do you have a place in the budget for the potential solution?
• Are there any financial considerations beyond an affordable monthly payment that might affect your decision-making process?
• Is moving forward with a solution like this contingent on any other business or financial factors we haven’t discussed?

Try this. We think you’ll be blown away by how many landmines you can uncover early in the sales process just by asking about upfront financial considerations.

At LEAF, we make your solutions more affordable, helping give your customers the financial confidence they need to go forward with the deal.