What Drives Your Customer’s Decision To Buy?
My first job selling was as a licensed real estate agent in New York City, while my wife and I were in graduate school. I remember one of my very first deals. I was taking a couple to look at apartments in the East Village. After seeing a few properties, I took them to one where, as I opened the door, I realized that the floor was not level. Actually, it was more than not level, it was downright crooked. It reminded me of one those funhouses that you find at carnivals. Before I could get out the words “I’m sorry”, they both shouted, “We’ll take it”. I was in shock. I think my initial response was an incredulous “Why?!”.
As it turned out, there were a number of valid reasons to answer “why”. Unfortunately, I did not know the reasons because I didn’t ask the right questions. I felt confused and a little dumbfounded as to how this could have happened. I was not a seasoned sales professional by any stretch of the imagination, but I knew enough to ask questions. I read a couple of books on selling consultatively. How could I miss this? I realized that asking questions was not enough. I needed to ask the right questions in the right way. I needed to know what drove their decision!
I have found the following four questions to be most important:
- What is their compelling reason to buy? – This goes far beyond why they’re buying and focuses on how the solution impacts them. For example; what would happen if they didn’t buy?
- What motivates them? – Motivation conjures the energy to act. We're all motivated by different things. Our job as sales people is to figure out what motivates our clients to buy. Our motivation is connected to the things that give us meaning and sense of purpose. For example, if your customer values buying from people with whom he has a relationship, then you’ll have to invest the time to build trust. If your customer values analytical data, then you’ll have to convey the value proposition in those terms.
- What is their preferred learning style? - There are three main Learning Styles: a.) Visual - people who prefer to learn through seeing, b.) Auditory - people who prefer to learn through hearing, and c.) Kinesthetic - people who prefer to learn through experiencing and/or doing (A great way to sell to someone like this is through storytelling.)
- What is their preferred mode to take in and process information? - This refers to the preferred way that people make sense of the information that they are receiving. In terms of the sales process, I have found that it is most important to determine whether your customer employs emotion or logic. Your job as a salesperson is to deliver information in a way that mirrors their preferences.
A great way to gather this information is to ask the following question: “Can you tell me about the last time you were in the market for something like this? Make sure you stop, listen and then follow-up with clarification questions.
Important information you want to know is:
- What did the process look like?
- How did you know you wanted to buy it?
- How did you make your decision?
- Were you happy with your decision and why?
I heard a quote the other the day, “Data is the new oil.” I’m not sure whether this is true, but even if it’s not, the more we understand why and how our customers buys, the greater the capacity we have as salespeople to provide solutions of value!
