Here are 3 reasons why it is important to help customers make purchase decisions.
The word selling is ‘dirty’
Unfortunately, selling connotes negative, even fearful images in the mind of the prospective buyer (prospect). Actually, even the statement, “We will transfer you to sales” or “We will introduce targets in your job description” fires images of abject horror in the minds of recipient staff. What they hear is, “They want to fire me.”
But back to the prospect.
Selling erects walls in the buyer’s mind. Selling triggers a defensive mechanism. The buyer feels like he is being made to buy something he doesn’t need. The word sell makes the buyer-seller relationship fear, instead of value-based. It gives the sense of doing something to somebody rather than something for somebody, or with somebody.
Overcome debilitating cross purposes
Next, if you ask the seller what their objective of the meeting with the prospect is they will say, “To sell”. If you ask the prospect that same question, they will say, “To get information”. Note, they will not say, “To buy”. Buying is a result of reconciling the information received to the pain point felt. Selling is about you, the sales person, purchasing is about the customer. This cross purpose in objectives is in itself a reason why many sales are lost. So you help customers make purchase decisions when you align your objectives to theirs.
And you do this by focusing on what influences customers purchase decision? How? Like the hawker that invites the lady to try out the shoes she’s peeked at with, “Kijaribu ni bure.” Or, by taking a doctor-patient approach. You genuinely seek to understand the prospect’s pain point. You listen with your eyes and ears, probe through questions and clarifications and seek clarity through rephrasing and testing assumptions. Then you will unearth the root cause of the pain and deal with it, instead of the superficial headache, a symptom.
Increase customer retention: help customers make purchase decisions
When you sell instead of help customers make purchase decisions you may make the buyer’s fear manifest. And this could be spend more, or, be convinced to buy something else. Yes, I know. It’s good sales practice to make an extra sale, and I applaud all that. However, if it comes at the price f making the buyer feel short changed the sustainability if that sale is in jeopardy. Always seeking new business is like running on the same spot. It’s tiring, full of activity, but unfortunately, no accomplishment. When a customer feels you genuinely sought to understand him before being understood they are very likely to want to do business with you again, and again and again. As a sales person that dramatically reduces your need for prospecting efforts and a s a business that gives you predictability of income.
Read: Evolve to modern selling, through quality customer engagements
Online reviews help customers make purchase decisions
If still in doubt about aligning yourself to how consumers make buying decisions, think about reviews on online purchase platforms. They exist solely to help buyers make purchase decisions. Quite likely you avoid the 2 star ratings.
How can you help customers make purchase decisions? Now you know.
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