| Salespeople love to complain about buyers.
One of the complaints salespeople share the most is that buyers never seem to make up
their mind. Just about the time it looks like they're going to make a buying decision,
they suddenly hold off.
Yes, there are times when a buyer legitimately can't make a
decision.
Many times, though, the delay is nothing more than a tactic
on the part of the buyer to get a better deal. This is especially true of professional
buyers, who see numerous salespeople on a regular basis. Why should anyone make a decision
quickly if they don't have to? More often than not, the buyers believe that by waiting,
they will get a better deal. The salesperson will get scared and will think the only way
to secure the sale is to offer a discount. Buyers believe this because experience has
shown them that it works!
Salespeople by nature are scared.
Don't take offense to my observation, because I include
myself in this profession as well. We, unfortunately, can view things too quickly in a
negative manner. For most salespeople, the way out of a situation like this is to
immediately offer the buyer a price reduction. This is exactly what the buyer wants! They
are looking for the salesperson to show some fear and some sense that the sale may not
happen at all. Once the buyer smells fear, they know a better deal is about to appear.
This is also a key reason why many professional buyers love
to ignore phone calls, emails and all other forms of communication from salespeople.
Nothing can make a salesperson more scared than a buyer who doesn't communicate with them.
If you're a buyer, it's hard to find any activities that can result in a higher return on
investment than ignoring a salesperson or holding off on making a decision. These tactics
usually result in saving money.
Now let's look at this challenge from a salesperson's
perspective.
Salespeople love to close sales and they also love to close
sales quickly, preferably with as little effort as possible. But effort - particularly
mental effort - can make the difference. This is the ability to understand and rationalize
objectively what is happening and what is not happening. This means understanding why the
buyer does need to buy from you and how what you're selling will allow them to achieve
their needs and objectives. The more you can build this kind of objective thinking into
your attitude, the better equipped you are to keep negativity at bay. Negative thinking is
the culprit that takes the biggest toll on a salesperson's level of success.
As soon as the salesperson begins viewing the situation
negatively and how the sale may not occur, it's only natural for them to think the
solution is to lower the price or offer something extra in the form of service. When the
salesperson does this, two things happen. First, it confirms in the buyer's mind why the
smart thing to do is to slow down the decision-making process. Second, it destroys profit
margin for the salesperson.
While there are several techniques to counter these
outcomes, there really is only one that is foundationally most important - the confidence
of the salesperson. If the salesperson is not confident, then every other tactic or
strategy is useless and will have little effect. Everything starts with the salesperson.
Confidence begins with the total belief in your own skill
set as a salesperson and total belief in your ability to help the buyer fill the needs
they have. If you don't believe in both of these, then there is nothing else you can do to
prevent the buyer from taking advantage of you by delaying their decision. Buyers,
especially professional buyers, can discern very quickly how confident a salesperson is.
If they sense the salesperson is not confident, then they'll delay their decision. They
have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing so.
On the other hand, if you as the salesperson are determined
to regularly and intentionally strengthen your own resolve and your own confidence, your
natural reaction to stalling buyers will not be to cave under the pressure. Your reflex
will be to wholeheartedly believe in your product, your price and your potential to help
the customer achieve their goals.
Are you going to let fear or confidence determine your
future? The choice is yours, so choose wisely. And profitably. |
