Your customers' buying process is composed of two parts. If your sales staff focus too heavily on the wrong one, their sales revenue will suffer.
Buying is a two-step dance. Step one is shopping. A problem is felt in the buyer's world, a need is recognized, and a search for a solution to the problem is undertaken. The horizon is scanned for options. Several are assessed. The long list becomes a short list. Proposals are requested.
This is the logical part of the purchase decision and is well recognized. The majority of sellers understand the process and are comfortable in their ability to navigate it — perhaps too comfortable.
Sellers who are too comfortable lose focus on the second, more important, step — the purchase decision. This is the yes-or-no-on-the-deal step. It is separate and distinct from step one, the shopping step, and should be treated as such.
Sellers lose focus because they think that success in step one means success in step two. Not so. Step one is the regular season. Step two is the playoffs. The team that finishes first in the standings is not always the one that wins the cup, because the regular season is fundamentally different from the playoffs. While the shopping step is quite linear, the purchase step can be quite scattered. Where the shopping step may involve a few influencers, the purchase decision can involve a committee. Most importantly, where the shopping step is highly logical, the purchase decision step is highly emotional.
As a purchase decision becomes imminent, buyers experience the same feelings we all do when we buy. Thoughts like, "Am I paying too much? Will the after-sale support be as good as they say? Boy, will I look foolish if what I'm buying doesn't solve our problems…" run through their heads. Buyers want help at this point.
Some sellers, however, view the buyer's decision-making step as a black box, inside of which things happen they cannot influence. They say, "I have given them everything they need to know about us. The decision is up to them now." Or, restated, "The decision-making step is not something I can influence or affect any more. I'll just leave it to run its course and hope for the best." This is where otherwise winnable deals are lost.
Help buyers by addressing their emotional needs around the purchase decision. Do this while presenting your proposal or solution. Do it by clearly articulating how each element of your product or solution contributes to meeting each need stated by the buyer. Work though this gently need by need until each one has been discussed openly.
For example, a commercial flooring company uses this approach. They identify the largest customer need first and then clearly state how they will meet it. "You have told us that you can't shut your retail store down while the floor is being replaced. Here is how we will approach the job so you can stay open for business while we work and minimize the impact on sales."
Then, they do the same for the next need. "You also said that site cleanliness is important to you and to your customers. Here are the steps we will take to ensure the site is kept tidy." They connect the dots, need by need, until each one has been discussed.
What they are really doing is painting a vivid picture for the buyer of what the post-decision implementation will look like. This puts the buyer in the future tense and allows them to envision the realistic positive outcome.
Purchasing fear often comes from the unknown. Proactively plan for a conversation that reduces the unknowns to increase buyer comfort. Addressing these emotions helps the buyer and increases your chances of securing new business.
