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Last week I spoke about customers with Hungry Buyer syndrome. The ones who come to you starving for what you’re selling then pull back just as quickly. Remember, people base purchasing decisions on emotions. And once they’re sure you can meet their emotional needs, their heads kick in and they slow down and evaluate the offer.

I received a great question from Melissa Cassera. She writes:

“I'd love to see some info in a future post about when people buy most. I find that, especially with products and programs marketed online, people bum rush you the last minute. Sales trickle in until that last possible minute. I also wonder if that "limited edition" or "limited quantity" is just a smart strategy overall. Like "get it now - or it's gone forever."

Well, Melissa, that last minute mentality is driven by two forces: procrastination and perceived scarcity.

Let’s talk about procrastination first. Procrastination is the act of putting something off that you know is good for you. Why do you do that? Well, because sometimes doing something that is good for you is also doing something that is uncomfortable for you.

Your offer might have touched an emotional nerve in someone. They eagerly read and respond to your offer (Hungry Buyer Syndrome), but when their brain kicks in, they realize if they take advantage of your offer, it will bring them to a place outside their comfort zone.

For this reason, it’s important to paint a picture of how your offer is going to make your customer’s life better. That the change you are offering is a good change. And that you will be there to walk your customer through it, every step of the way.

So why does someone wait until the last minute? That’s the persuasion principle of scarcity in action. It’s based on the law of supply and demand; the less there is of something the greater the demand for it will be. And in this case, the customer is more worried about what she’ll lose if she misses out vs. what she will gain.

I’ll give you two examples of scarcity in action.

First, think about the Disney Vault, that place where Disney locks away their DVDs, selling them for a limited amount of time and then taking them off the market for ten years. Disney claims they do this to keep their movies fresh. OK. But they also do this because it creates a sense of urgency on the part of the buyer. If you don’t get that DVD now, you will regret it later.

And second, look at the success of eBay. I doubt it would have been nearly as successful if it were simply an online sale. Add in the auction factor and people are buying things up before they’re gone.

Having a call to action is an important part of selling. Limited time or limited quantity. But if you advertise something as get it now or lose your chance forever, be willing to follow through with that. And be sure to cover what your customer will gain and what she will lose if she fails to purchase.

If you don’t like that particular tactic, then instead, suggest to your customer that maybe they are not ready.  If you start to take your offer off the table gently, the customer who really wants what you are offering, will take action and buy.

I hope this helped answer this question for you and make this a more gracious process!