Sometimes, in the middle of a presentation, with both homeowners present, one suddenly gets up and leaves. This can happen for any number of reasons. For instance, one spouse has to take a child to sports practice or start dinner.

Whatever the reason, you have to get them back into the room together or schedule another appointment.You're not going to sell to just one of them. Surveys show few would make a significant purchase without a spouse's input.

What To Do When a prospect leaves, either she's not interested in you and your product, or she has a legitimate reason and there's no flexibility. If she isn't interested, you need to find out why. Or maybe you haven't injected urgency into the call. Would she walk out on a dental appointment?

A departing spouse is likely to say, “I need to do such-and-such, but just go ahead, you don't need me anyhow.” At that point, you must set another date. You also need to create urgency: “Mrs. So-and-so, this is extremely important. It's important to to schedule a time when you can be here to talk.”

Second Chances The decision to alter a person's home is huge and not to be taken lightly. Because you're the person providing the information that will help them make this decision, make sure you give it to all the involved parties. It's your job to be the salesperson. Don't expect the one spouse to sell the other for you. And don't sell yourself on the idea that you can get a sale without one or the other being there. That's a rookie mistake. —Phil Rea shares his sales strategies each month through his MasterMind Program. For more information, call 866.441.7445.