Are They Going to Buy ?

"Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it."

So, how do we know if the clients are actually interested in purchasing?

When it comes to closing more deals, paying attention to what your prospect is telling you, both explicitly and implicitly, can make all the difference. During sales interactions, here's some common buying signals should you look for :

1. They share real challenges you can solve.

Does the prospect actually have challenges that you can solve? Of course, everyone has challenges in life, but if the prospect has the specific challenges that you can solve, and they’re willing to share those challenges with you, that’s a huge buying signal.

Again, just because a prospect shares real challenges you can solve, that doesn’t mean they’re 100% going to buy from you. Still, it’s a strong indicator of fit. When a possible client?opens up?and shares their challenges that you can solve, make sure you WORK HARD to get below the surface AND GO DEEP. Are they willing to tell you more about those challenges? If you can get the prospect to really open up about their challenges, it’s a great sign that they’re going to purchase.

2. Their objections don’t show complacency.

All prospects have objections of some kind, so there’s always at least one concern. Anyway, some prospects will have objections that show complacency, and complacency objections are a bad sign. When a prospect says: "You know what? The timing just isn’t right," or “Maybe we should revisit this down the road,” what they really mean is: "I’m not seeing it. I don’t feel enough value in order to move forward."

On the other hand, if your prospect is giving you objections that don’t show complacency, that’s a good thing. In fact, when the prospect’s objections show that they’re engaging with the offer, or discussing small details here and there, it’s a really strong buying signal. It shows that they’re considering the idea of using your product or service. So if a prospect gives you objections that don’t show complacency, take it as a signal they’re going to purchase. But if you’re hearing complacency objections, then recognize that you’ll have to do some real digging to get out of the hole you’re in.

3. They have good questions.

Good questions show intent. If your prospects are engaging with what you’re talking about, asking interesting questions about how they might use your product or service, that’s a great buying signal. Like other signals a prospect is going to purchase, it doesn’t guarantee anything. However it’s a powerful sign when prospects are engaged enough in the conversation to ask you meaningful questions about how your product or service might fit into their future professional world, so keep the engagement high.

4. They agree on next steps.

At Lunatics Lab , one of the strategies we always talk about is becoming next step obsessed. What this means is that you must always schedule the next step with your prospect while you’re in the current meeting, whether that’s face to face, over the phone, on Zoom, or any other form of meeting. Willingness to schedule next steps is one of the strongest signals a prospect is going to purchase. On the flip side, if your prospect is unwilling to schedule next steps, that’s really problematic. Either they don’t see enough value, or the timing’s just not right, or something else is very wrong. Become obsessed with scheduling next steps and pay close attention to how your prospects react when you try to get them on the calendar for that next meeting. This is a powerful buying signal that can tell you whether the prospect sees enough value to spend more time with you and continue the conversation.

5. They follow your lead.

This is one of my favorite signals a prospect is going to purchase. When a prospect is following your lead, letting you take them through your process it’s a powerful sign that they’re going to buy from you. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are prospects who act evasive, evade your questions, and aren’t willing to follow your process. That’s always a bad sign that things are not going according to plan. So, when the prospect is willing to follow your lead, it means that they’re engaged enough to be considering the potential solution you’re offering and they have enough respect for you to go in the direction you’re taking them.

Of course, if prospects are following your lead, then you’d better be following a strong sales process in the first place. Make sure you’re asking the right questions, demonstrating insight, and showing your prospects that you can solve their top challenges.

By arming yourself with the right data, you can ensure that each conversation you have with your prospects is going to take them off to the moon. With the right approach, you’ll certainly start seeing more positive buying signals and closing more deals.