Understanding why people buy is the key to making sure they buy from you. Brian Tracy considers in his book Advanced Selling Strategies the Duality Law. “There are always two reasons people buy: the reason that sounds good and the real reason. The sounds good reason is the logical, bottom-line reason. The Real reason is psychological, that is emotional.” Your customer must have both to buy.
Anticipate the benefits of your product which is how your product makes life better for your customer. Understand the obvious benefit: A pest control service has 1,000 customers is because 1,000 people do not want bugs in their homes which illustrates the obvious reason customers buy the pest control service. Your customer has an obvious reason such as the feeling of security he gets from the purchase of insurance, or the satisfaction of reliability when she turns the key in her new car. Watch how your customer reacts as you talk about how your product or service will make life better; and then capitalize on the emotions the benefit arouses.
Discover your customer’s secondary motivation for buying your product or service by asking questions to uncover the specific benefit that triggers the emotional decision to buy. Such as the slacks make her look ten pounds lighter which is an emotional reason and was probably arrived at almost instantaneously. The justification for the purchase is that the slacks are 30% off. If the decision to buy cannot be justified logically and reasonably, then your customer will walk away without making the purchase. Emotions make your customer reach for the product, and logical justification make the cash appear on the counter.
Describe your customer's future satisfied state: Tell a woman she looks 10 pounds thinner in pair of slacks only if she does; or tell a man that he won't have mechanical problems with this lawn mower model only if it is true. Otherwise, you've lost customer trust and satisfaction which leads to loss of repeat business.
Identify the determining benefit that will sway your customer. Sales people usually call it the “hot button” which could be any number of things including company reputation, other satisfied customers, relationship between you and the customer, how soon the customer can have the product or service, or as simple as the fact you truly understand your customer’s needs. Ask the question, “If this was free, would you take it?” Then ask, “Why?” No matter if the answer is yes or no, you will be able to identify what is motivating your customer and then you’ll be able to use that information to make your sale.
Listen to your customer. Make your customer feel important by remembering what he says and say it back to him phrased a little differently. You assure your customer you understand his needs when you paraphrase. Master the art of asking skillful questions, and draw out the maximum information from your customers. Hear the answers, then use those answers to trigger your sale.
Capitalize on what customers want by helping them to decide without high pressure. Understand it is a major effort to change practices or change systems or products because of the risk involved. Your customer has unasked questions such as “What if it doesn’t work like the sales person promises? What if the product or service doesn’t pay for itself?” Soothe your customer's fear of change and risk by presenting the benefit you've discovered from your customer's answers so that it out weighs the risk, or effort to change. Reassure him your product will do what he needs it to do.
Focus on the specific problem to be solved. Too often the sale becomes the most important factor on your mind when the focus should be on what crisis or goal your customer has. Outline why your product has the lowest risk and highest return on investment. Ultimately, this process will relieve that inner tension your customer has.
Assume the sale. Help your customer over that hump of initial hesitation. Give him a choice of this apple or that apple, this orange or that orange which will spur the decision and still give him the feeling of control over solving his crisis. The key is knowing your products well enough to recommend the perfect solutions. If your product can do exactly what your customer needs to solve his problem, then expound on the solution and paint that picture of a dilemma resolved and your customer as the hero.
Keep in touch with your customers on a monthly or quarterly basis. Phone calls, friendly emails, and drop-in visits make it easy for your customers to reorder, so your customers are coming back to you and not your competition. Stay on top of customer business changes to offer additional services or new products which helps your profit margin increase.
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