DO WE BUY, OR DO WE GET SOLD TO?

The age old adage of ‘selling ice to eskimos’ sends a shiver down my spine. Every time.

There is no prestige in selling something your buyer doesn’t need. And, they don't want to be sold to.

The reward comes when you can close a sale that delivers on the genuine needs and wants of your customer. When they walk away from a sale happy, you can rest easy knowing you’ve not only made a sale, but you’ve probably made someone’s day.

Thanks no doubt to high pressure sales targets and KPI’s, I meet a lot of salespeople who forget this simple rule of selling. Their focus is purely on selling to a buyer, instead of understanding and nurturing the process required for someone to buy.

This mistake often starts with companies and the limited sales training they provide to staff, focusing only on the features of the product or service they offer. This approach fails to consider how they are solving a problem for their customer. In doing this, they forget the most crucial part of the sales process.

I speak with companies from a range of industries and when posing the question: “what problem are you solving for your customer?” many find it difficult to answer. They come back with paragraphs of features or even the history of their business. And it becomes clear they’re not thinking about the customer journey and how their product or service will add value for them.

In today’s competitive selling environment and the online era we are in , buyers are often informed and knowledgeable about a product or service before they buy. Sometimes though, they become overwhelmed by all the information and choice, creating a confused buyer who needs the guidance of a skilled salesperson to make the right decision, and the right investment.

The best way salespeople can improve the sales process is to stop selling. To help the buyer purchase what they need, we must first help them solve their problems and remove any barriers they have in the sales process.

These barriers, or objections, come in the form of questioning or stalling tactics. Salespeople often don't identify these objections, or panic over losing a sale and try to close when the buyer isn’t ready. This results in an unhappy customer, and buyer’s remorse.

Three simple rules to avoid buyer's remorse

1. Ensure you are linking the value of the sale to the customer’s needs.
2. Ascertain if they are stalling due to commitment issues, or fear of making the wrong decision - then try and turn the stall around.
3. Never try to close a stall. This will create relationship tension, the customer won’t trust you and they are likely to leave.

Buyers remorse happens often, and comes into play when a buyer questions the value of a purchase. Usually this occurs for more expensive purchases, however many buyers feel this remorse even for inexpensive items - particularly if they feel they were ‘sold to’.

Recently I visited my favourite shoe shop to browse the newest products they had on offer. Usually I am motivated to buy not because of need, but emotion, but on this occasion I needed a new pair of shoes as my favourite pair had just decided to retire after years of loyal service. So here I am in the store searching for this exact pair - but instead I found some shoes that were slightly different. As is always the case, a second pair of shoes (that I didn’t need) caught my eye, and I asked to try them on. After trying them on, I was confused. Do I buy both (remembering I’m an emotion driven shopper) or just buy what I need? This was a great opportunity for the salesperson to work their magic.

However, they didn’t try to help me through the process. This salesperson’s only objective was to sell both pairs of shoes. Instead of helping me solve my problem or feel good about buying both pairs, she told me it was the last pair left in my size. She failed to help me, and I walked out.

This was just one example of the mistake salespeople so often make. They’re so focused on closing the deal, they forget about the sales process and the buyer experience. Ultimately, we want to make our buyer feel positive about their purchase. Whether it’s large sales between two organisations or a simple retail transaction at a clothing store or shoe shop - our buyer should feel confident and in control of their decision making, and walk away feeling great.

Three simple but effective ways to help your buyer feel positive about the sales process:

1. Actively listen to your customer and confirm key points to ensure you understand their needs
2. Ask questions during the sales process to ensure the buyer is comfortable moving from one stage to the next
3. Don't be afraid to offer alternatives if you feel your customer is leaning toward the wrong option for them. Remember the customer is coming to you for help. How good they feel, depends on the level of service you provide and how you help your customer through the buying process.

To further develop your understanding of human behaviour and what drives your buyer, I highly recommend reading about The Platinum Rule for sales mastery which uses DISC and identifies people in four different categories: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientious.

By understanding the different types of buyer behaviour styles, you can tailor your sales approach to each customer to ensure you are helping the buyer get what they need in the sales process.