Why Customers DON'T Buy

While I usually cover the 'why in how people buy', we're going to take a dip into the hidden consumer behavior behind why people don't buy - Victor Antonio

In selling, you will always have customers who don’t want to change products or will tell you they are happy with whatever they currently have (even if it's mediocre). So, we’ll cover 2 things – what you say to keep the conversation going and, how we can better understand the customer’s thought processes.

When the customer begins to tell you why he is satisfied with the current product,  all we want to do is keep the door open for a conversation. We can ask questions like, “Isn’t it good to always have options?” An overwhelming majority of the time, the client will agree that options are always good to have- this gives you a spring board into your presentation. Your product presentation is simply a display of other options that he has and what value they can bring to him.

So, during this kind of interaction in particular , you may be wondering what the customer is thinking – why were they so hesitant to hear about a superior option? What is causing their resistance?

 To answer this, we’ll use the Iceberg analogy (10% of an iceberg is above water, while the other 90% is hidden). We only hear 10% of what the customer is actually thinking, the other 90% is unspoken. So, “Now is not a good time”, “We’re okay with what we have now”, is only a small fraction of what is really going on. Underneath, the other unspoken 90%, can be broken down into 3 parts.

1.    Brain Pain- The brain experiences pain when it makes a change. As in; most people would rather do nothing and get it wrong, than do something and get it wrong. Getting something wrong in selling means consequences and buyer’s remorse. This happens with nearly every customer. Empathizing and acknowledging their hesitation is key to overcoming this ‘brain pain’.

2.    Magnifying Effort- The client is thinking about how much time, energy, effort, and resources this change will take and inevitably, magnifying the effort. Think about anytime you had some routine home maintenance. Did you procrastinate and dread the task based on your past experiences? The client is doing the same thing. It is our job to minimize their perceived effort by again acknowledging and sympathizing, while taking the time to walk through what is actually required. This brings us to point #3…

3.    Lastly, the client has to also keep in mind how your product will influence their business. As most of us do, we predict what issues will arise, rather than what benefits could result from the change. Having a step by step implementation plan or a case study will also help the client see this change in a new light. When you present an example of a client in a similar size and industry, and what you did to make sure that transition was smooth, you will lessen their risk aversion. Offering a guarantee, will let the customer know you are also absorbing some of the risk, and quiet their internal conflict.

Consistently boost your sales by creating a customized, practical Sales Process - with Victor Antonio at Sales Mastery Intensive at https://www.salesmasteryintensive.com/