Julie Steelman
Sales & Business Bankability Mentor - CEO, SellebrateKAILUA KONA, HI
http://www.JulieSteelman.com
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Ever scratched your head and thought, “Hmm. I thought that customer was going to buy but she suddenly got cold feet? I must have read her signals wrong.”
You probably have had an experience like this, but I’ll bet those “cold feet” were really a sign of Hungry Buyer Syndrome. Here’s what I mean:
Most people base purchase decisions on emotions. They are starved for the emotional payoff, want it now and rush towards the person who can fill this void. They are hungry buyers. And if you offer a more personal type of product or service, the hungrier your buyers will seem.
But here’s what happens next: Once the emotions feel satisfied, the brain kicks in, causing the customer to slow down and evaluate the offering. They are digesting the details.
Unfortunately for a seller, it can be startling. The customer who comes on strong at the beginning of a sale pulls away just as quickly. It’s natural to assume this “up and down” pattern means your product or service is inadequate in some way.
The worst thing you can do, however, is to get cold feet for your buyer, because what you are interpreting as disinterest is actually the opposite! It’s a normal buyer response and a part of the sales process.
When a customer gets closer to making an emotional, energetic and financial commitment, she gets sensitive, uncomfortable and can act flakey. In reality, she is assessing and re-assessing the decision to buy. What you are offering is touching something deeply personal for her, and you have to aid her through this process.
Remember, you are the leading authority on what you sell. No one knows it like you do. If the buyer knew what you knew about your product or service - emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually – she would buy. Immediately.
You have to be willing to invest the time it takes for someone to reach a decision. She has to digest and assimilate everything you told her and base her decision mostly on trust. She has to compare and contrast the promise you are making with her goals and objectives.
Making the decision to work with you can take buyers up and down and back and forth a bit. Ultimately, that seeming roller-coaster ride is how buyers arrive at the conclusion to buy. I know it feels like the exact opposite is happening and you are losing a sale. In truth, buyers ruminate on a decision when something is truly resonating with them. They don’t spend much time deliberating about something they don’t want!
So don’t give up because this is a pivotal time in the sales process. This is when the most meaningful bond is created with your customer. Hang in there with them and assist her to the best of your ability through this process. If you do, you will have built an incredibly strong alliance. But if you lose confidence in your product or service at this stage, so will your buyer.
