Home Improvement Sales: They Said “Next Year” — I Closed Them
Prefer to Watch: Here's the the Video
TL;DR
“Next year” = usually about money, not intent.
Build rapport first, then tie it back to affordability.
Use price increases + discounts to create urgency.
Seasonal stalls? Stress long-term savings & readiness.
Sales Training for Remodeling Teams: Turning "Next Year" Into Today
So you do in home sales like selling home improvements and when you walk in the home and the first thing you hear is “Well we aren’t planning on doing anything until next year or for a couple of years” and you think, another waste of time.
Understanding the Difference Between a Stall and a Real Condition
The first thing that will help is to understand that it is not a waste of your time. It is not a condition it is just statement. A condition would be if you were trying to sell hair dye to a person who is bald. That is something that can’t be overcome. When someone says I’m not planning on doing anything until next year it could just be a defensive statement to back you off. Just another variation of “I’m not buying anything today, I’m planning on getting three estimates before I do anything or I’m just looking”.
We sell people like that all of the time. If you actually believe these type of things then the customer is closing you. It should be the other way around. You are also starting to prequalify if you think it’s a waste of time. To me any type of statement like that a customer makes at the beginning is meaningless. If you believe it you are the one giving it meaning not the customer.
Why Customers Stall at the Door
The key to understanding how to handle this is what it really means in most cases. Why would anyone want to wait to start improving something they know needs done. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bathroom, windows, hvac system or kitchen it all comes down to the same reason on why they would want to do it next year or further down the road. It’s money or affordability.
Look at it this way if it was free how soon do you think they would want the work done. If you understand that waiting until next year has nothing to do with anything else but money you’ll be on your way to making a lot more sales and money. If you went to someone’s home and the first thing they said was “we don’t think we can afford it now” would that bother you. Of course not. Then understanding what wait until next year really means is the same thing and you’ll be on your way.
When to Address the "Next Year" Objection
Build Rapport First
A key with this is you don’t try to deal with it or fight them about this at the beginning. Roll with the punches and say “no problem”. The first time I may even deal with it is after I have gotten rapport and control and when I am the needs analysis or identify the problem part of your sales call. So the way to solve this problem is that you have to bring it to the real issue of money.
Once you get the hot buttons and information on the problem. Ie” the windows are leaking, the bathroom is outdated, the roof is old and have clearly established the problem the customer wants solved. I always get a commitment that they want to do something. For example. “So how long have you been thinking about getting a new bathroom ?” “a year or so…So other than affordability is there any other reason you wouldn’t get the work done? “Well like we said we wanted to wait until next year?”
And so I leave you the right information what is the main reason for that? “Because we would be able to afford it then.” Or “that’s when we can fit it into our budget?” What else could they say? Then I wrap it up by saying so other than affordability is there any other reason you wouldn’t want it done as soon as possible.
Tying It Back to Money
Or if I have to it might help to clarify it by just saying well if it was free how soon would you want the work done. “If it was free Asap.” Remember that if you are going to bring it to money do it here after you have warmed them up and done your needs analysis. Don’t deal with or try to fight them right at the door. It makes you seem desperate, and you don’t have the ammo you have that you would get by better identifying the problem in your needs analysis.
If can’t get past it or prefer another method I sometimes wait until the close and do it like this. I go along with the next year premise the whole time and don’t start to bring them closer to the present until close.
Closing Strategies That Move Customers From "Next Year" to Now
Step-Down Closing With Price Increases
My pre close is “Next year when you do something is this the window you definitely want?” Get the commitment then when I deliver the price I say okay here is your estimate for next year and I show the price and let them clearly see that it has 5% added to it. For example the job is $15000 and they see a plus $750 then the total of $15750.
They always ask” what’s that 5% charge of $750? “ Well if you wait until next year the price goes up around 5% and that’s what it will cost. “Oh..” I have a question if we could make it affordable would you consider doing it within the year then you wouldn’t pay the price increase? “Possibly…” well if you did it within the year …then I take off the 5% or $750 then it would be the $15,000 and then I say we actually have a sale going on right now.
If it was affordable would you consider doing it within the 90 days that the sale is good for because it would save you a lot more money. “Well what would that be?” Well it’s a $800 off sale so it would actually bring your price to $14200. So you can see that I am bringing them closer and closer to eventually once I work out how to make it affordable with the 90 day price that it leads to” Now I know you weren’t planning on doing anything now but if you want the best value to price possible if you actually did it today you would save……etc.” Then I do whatever today urgency discount I have. So I gently …the key is gently brought them closer and closer with each step of the close.
That’s one way that has worked well for me to get sales from not doing anything to next year customers.
Handling Seasonal Product Objections
Sometimes the next year comment can come from the time of the year for seasonal products like hvac.(Caption: Seasonal Products) For example I used to sell swimming pools and every year around September all the other sales people would start to slump and my sales went up. We were hearing “well it’s already September and after this is installed we won’t be able to use our pool maybe a week or so so maybe we’ll just wait until next year. This is something hvac reps start to hear about air conditioning late in the season as well. Well it’s late in the year and probably won’t need to use an air conditioner much longer.
The Seasonal Script
I always said Well let me ask you a question …are you getting a pool/air conditioning for just one year or for the rest of the time you are living here? “Well the rest of our lives….”so you aren’t loosing out by not using it now but the benefit is that you won’t pay the price increase, you take advantage of the best price with our end of the year sale and when the summer starts you can be ready and get the entire summers use out of it. Does that make sense?...”yea” then just help me fill out the credit application and we can get started. Remember that underneath all of this is the fact that they are talking to you. They called you in September. The fact that they are calling you for an air conditioner estimate in September means to me that that must really be desperate not the opposite.
Key Takeaways for Remodeling Sales Success
The main take away from this should be that doing it next year may be an initial stall or if they really are planning for next year that it is just about the money. You need to change your mindset that these are easily closeable. Plus you have the added plus that even if they had planned to do it next year that they still called you now. They must be serious or I wouldn’t be there. And finally that you are helping them by getting them to do it now by them getting it at the lowest price by not paying the price increases that everything has and solving their problems sooner than later.
If you like these type of posts please check out the article on “ 4 Ways To Use Questions” or the posts on closing.
Happy Selling!
