When the customer is ready to buy
By: International Sales Institute
Tags: Sales, B2c, Salesman, Business, Customer Service

Let’s imagine: a potential customer contacts you. He is enthusiastic and excited about your product. From time to time, he exclaims: “Oh, how did I miss this out? Why didn’t I hear about your product earlier? I am so happy to meet you!”. You also feel this thrill and already dream of the bonuses you will get at the end of the month. After, your potential customer promises to phone you or even to swing by in two days.

Two days pass, but your potential customer is lost. Finally, you timidly dial his number. You have a gut feeling that something is wrong. You are calling, but nobody answers.

First, you get anxious and feel humiliated. Then you think: “Who stole my deal? Where did I mess up?”. After going in-depth into the case, you conclude that all customers are cheaters and takers, and you get frustrated with sales. You can’t define whom to trust and who is a real customer.

While you are sinking in your frustrations, another customer contacts you. He seems neutral, even skeptical. You answer all his questions reluctantly, thinking to yourself: “ What the hell he wants? He is not even a buyer, why he wastes my time”.

Meanwhile, the person asks you a few more questions, and you hear this magic phrase: “ Send me an invoice. I am buying it.” You think you have misheard something; however, after he repeats the phrase, you realize that he is a real client. Being surprised, you start the purchase process.

The deal is closed, and you return to your dilemma, trying to define who is a “real” customer.

Such experience makes the sales process overcomplicated and customers unpredictable.

According to Keith M Eades (the author of the book “The New Solution Selling), the process is not as hard as it seems. The research showed that people go through 3 stages of decision making, with behavior varying on each of them. Thus, if a sales manager is familiar with the stages and acts accordingly, the sales are less complicated and quite predictable.

The 1-st stage is “ the latent pain”, on which a potential customer has a vague vision of his needs. Something bothers us in general, but we are not in a rush to fix it, as it is not our priority for this time.

So, how does a person behave? Based on research, in the first stage of decision making, a person has no idea what he wants exactly, asks general questions, and does not listen to your answers. Then the question is: why is he so open and easy-going?

Perhaps, because he does not have to make any decision, so he is at ease. It is well-known that a decision-making process is associated with stress, anxiety, and fear of failure.

Sales managers are recommended not to be pushy in order not to scare away a potential customer; instead, it is reasonable to underline the positive sides of the product and share the experience of satisfied customers. The conversation has to be precise and short.

The main mistakes of the salesman at this volume can be too much pressure on the client, sophisticated presentations, and a rush to close the deal.

The 2-nd stage is the “Phase of choosing alternatives”. By that time, a customer admits his needs. His goal is to make the right decision and get the desired result that matches his expectations. The behavior is changed: he asks a lot of questions. He is more suspicious and careful; he may even argue to make sure his choice is correct.

Being bombarded with questions, you may even think that he is a mystery shopper. However, this is rarely the truth. The reality is that you must, first of all, be an expert on your product, give thoughtful responses, gain interest, and share success stories of random clients. In this phase, a customer needs guarantees that made decisions will surely solve his problems and will make him happier.

The most common mistakes made by managers at this stage are superficial and short responses and pushing to make a fast decision. Most often, a potential customer is getting lost at this stage.

The 3-rd phase is the “Final decision” when a customer already decided what product he wants and wants to buy from you. This is a favorite stage of sales managers. But what changed in the customer’s behavior? First of all, they are impatient to get a product; they hate changes and want exactly what has been ordered. And the danger of this phase is “ expectation vs reality”- when the outcomes can cause a huge disappointment. At this moment, a client needs only fast service and precise fulfillment of the agreement.

At the last stage, salesmen often fail expectations of a customer, as they promise more than they fulfill. Maybe this is a concept of Anti-sales — when you are orientated for one ticket commission only and not the long-term sales career.

Why do sales managers have to know about these decision-making phases?

The answer is simple: when you know how to behave at each stage, you save your time, energy, and resources, which makes the process easier for both — a salesman and a customer.