Psychology Of Selling!
Chapter 3. Why People Buy
You can’t teach one person everything.
You can only help him discover himself. – Galileo Galilei
There are many different reasons why someone would buy from you.
One thing you need to respect is that
customers buy for their reasons, not yours.
One of the biggest mistakes amateur salespeople make is asking customers
to buy for their own reasons,
not the customer’s real reasons.
One of the most important parts,
an integral step in the entire sales process,
is the ability to accurately identify the needs of the customer.
You can invest as much time as you can,
asking as many questions
as you can as long as you can explain
why this customer is buying from you at this very moment.
If you don’t, your entire vending machine will stop.
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BASIC MOTIVATIONS
As a rule, every human action is aimed at improving something.
Customers buy goods or services
because they feel the goods
or services will be useful to them.
They even feel this way
when they buy another good or service,
even if they don’t buy anything.
With each purchase offer,
the customer always has three options.
Customers can buy from you,
buy from someone else,
or buy nothing at all at the same time.
Your job is to make customers understand they need to buy from you,
need to make them overcome their doubts when buying.
Moreover, when buying from you,
customers are definitely more profitable than not buying.
This benefit cannot simply be represented
by an insignificant increase in value or benefit.
For the customer,
it needs to be large enough to match the amount of money
they have spent on the purchase,
but for you, plus the time
and energy needed to implement your solution.
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The greatest value
Everyone considers freedom the most valuable of all the benefits of society.
When people have money,
they already have some degree of freedom available.
They have many options
and can do many different things.
Fear of dependence is the main reason people hesitate to spend money,
for whatever purpose.
If a customer buys from you,
they will have to give up some of the freedom
and flexibility they once had before paying you.
If the product is not satisfied,
they both no longer have that money,
and just die with the product.
Since every customer is involved
in such an incident at least once,
of course they always have doubts
when making a purchase.
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The more satisfied the more better
Economists often talk about “satisfaction”.
They assume that
different actions will bring different levels of satisfaction
to the same person.
Customers want the highest level of satisfaction
when making purchasing decisions.
Clients want to feel an improvement both physically,
emotionally and mentally.
They want to be satisfied in many ways.
The more satisfied your customers are with the goods
or services you provide,
the easier it is for them to buy from you.
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The value of emotions
Each individual has different buying motives.
One of the most important areas that
the study of business psychology has to deal
with is “emotional” or “spiritual” values.
From the customer’s point of view,
these values are intangible,
cannot be grasped,
attached to
and enhance the value of products and services.
For example, salespeople often try to convince customers
by making sure
that the product or service is being sold
at the best price in the market.
Customers are often more interested in the name
and reputation of the distributor.
Customers tend to buy
when the product has a good reputation,
even at a higher price.
If this is the most important point for the customer,
and if the salesperson insists on the lower price of an unknown product,
he or she is actually hurting sales.
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How do others feel?
People are often sensitive to the reactions of family members
or co-workers.
Whenever they need to consider the possibility of a purchase,
they often think about the reaction of others to this decision.
No one wants to be blamed.
If a shopper is likely to be blamed for the intention
to buy something,
they will immediately hesitate to buy.
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Price and quality
Most salespeople repeat the words price
and quality as if they were the reason to buy anything.
In today’s competitive market,
your product or service is either acceptable for a reasonable price,
good quality,
or cannot survive in the market.
You convince customers
with the “price and quality” argument
is like saying they should buy from you just
because you are the sales person.
That’s not a reason to buy anything.
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DETERMINATION OF DEMAND
The professional salesperson will start with a needs analysis.
You won’t really get into sales
until you ask enough questions and listen to enough answers.
This allows you to see the urgent need
Customer needs can be satisfied by your product.
Once you’ve identified your customer’s needs,
you can arrange a customer-focused presentation
so they understand that their needs will be satisfied
if they buy from you.
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What is product and what product does?
Perhaps the key difference in needs analysis is seeing the difference
between what your product “is”
and what your product does.
Most salespeople are interested in presenting what their product is,
how it is made, the design features
and the manufacturing process.
And these are all the things that
salespeople often introduce
when they meet customers.
Customers who don’t care what your product is.
They only care what your product or service does for them.
The client’s favorite radio program is “What feature works for me?”
Customers don’t care what your product is.
They only care what your product or service does for them.
There is a simple way to determine the benefits your product brings to customers.
Think of a pipe.
One end of the conduit leads the product from the seller
through the distribution to the customer in need.
The other end of the pipe leads into a jar,
that is the benefit your product brings
to improve the life or work of the customer.
Your job is to clearly define
what goes into the customer’s jar after they buy from you.
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Emotional reasons and actually reasons
For example,
a few people have sold life insurance
by emphasizing its ability to pay premiums,
preferential policies,
the size and reputation of the company,
convenient payment methods,
and the role it plays of life insurance in financial planning.
All of these things are important,
but they are not a reason for customers to buy life insurance.
They buy mainly for “peace of mind”.
A leading American life insurance agent has said that
he always uses a very simple question
when calling new clients:
“Do you feel that your family needs support if something happens to you?
I do not?”
If the client doesn’t say yes right away,
he won’t spend any more time convincing them
of the importance of life insurance.
He found that if a person is not responsible for his family,
he will hesitate to buy insurance to provide
for his family in the event of an accident.
In the same way,
determine the importance of satisfying the emotional need that
the product brings to the customer,
they will buy from you if you can convince them that
it need will be satisfied.
Your question is the key to determining the exact need.
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Two main motivations
There are two main motivations
for customers to buy
or not to buy,
which is the desire to gain
and the fear of loss.
Obviously the desire to win is to make things better,
to improve the current situation.
Your first job is to help customers see
how much of an improvement in their lives
and work your product can bring.
The second motivator is the fear of loss.
As we’ve discussed,
customers are often afraid of making a mistake
when making a purchase:
awkward with something they don’t want,
don’t need,
can’t use,
or can’t afford.
Because customers have encountered so many such cases,
they are very vigilant not to repeat the same mistake again.
Here is an interesting discovery.
The desire to gain has a motivating force of 1.0 units,
while the fear of loss has a motivating force of 2.5 units.
In other words,
the fear of loss is 2.5 times stronger
than the desire to gain.
People are generally more motivated
to buy if they feel a loss by not buying,
than when they buy
because they want to enjoy the benefits of the product.
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Prove to both
Of course, the best sales presentation is
when it shows the customer
how they would benefit if they bought,
and at the same time,
how much worse it would be if they didn’t.
For example, when selling a car,
you can show the customer how great the car is,
how nice it is,
and how good it is to drive.
If the customer likes the car
but is still hesitant,
let them know that
this is the last car left on the order
and there will be no replenishment
for at least the next 2 months,
or that this is the last car to be sold
for the price such low.
Often, customers are rethinking their purchase decision
as soon as they see a possibility that
they won’t be able to buy at the current price.
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Are you trustworthy?
Credibility is probably the most important requirement in your presentation.
Even if you are convinced that the product
or service works exactly as you recommend it,
customers are still skeptical.
Your job is to make customers trust you enough that they order.
Imagine if a customer is convinced that
your product will benefit them a lot,
and you always guarantee that
product or service,
then there is nothing to stop them from buying from you.
Improving the credibility to sell
is your mission in the whole sales process.
This requires you to identify market needs in the right way.
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CREATE ENCOURAGEMENT FOR EVERY CUSTOMER’S NEEDS
All human actions, including the motivation to buy,
are motivated by essential needs.
You must determine which feature of the product
or service you offer fits the essential needs of every customer.
Then make a commitment that
their need will be met more fully
and better from any other product
or service available on the market,
at the same time and at the same price.
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1. Money
Everyone wants more money.
This is an instinct.
“Money turns the world around.”
Anytime you can associate your product
or service with earning
or saving your customers money,
you’ll be interested in them.
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2. Safety
Everyone has a need to be safe.
Most people feel safe if they have enough money.
So, while money is cold and grim,
owning it is warm.
According to a study by the University of Chicago,
people buy
because they anticipate the feeling of owning
or using the product.
You need to learn to anticipate that
feeling if you want to make a sale.
It’s not the physical product characteristics,
it’s the feeling of satisfaction that
customers will feel
when they buy from you.
The need for security,
whether financial,
emotional or physical,
for self or family,
is strong and profound.
If you convince customers of the need for safety,
you will attract them.
The difficulty is that
only a few people feel absolutely safe compared to the vast majority
who are always insecure.
People always want to be safer.
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Safe products and services
Today, the market for security equipment
and services for computer networks is exploding.
Home security systems bring no small profit.
Many types of accident
or incident insurance also bring in hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
Any time you make customers believe
they are safer buying your product or service,
you’ve generated more leads.
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3. Be loved
Everyone wants to be liked,
accepted
and respected by friends,
neighbors and partners.
By achieving these goals,
we have satisfied a deep-seated need to be sociable
and to affirm our self-worth.
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4. Position and prestige
One of the strongest human motivators is personal status and prestige.
We all want to feel important and valued,
and want people to respect and admire our work.
When you pay $50 for a watch,
you’re buying something that counts time.
But when you pay more than $50 for a watch,
you are buying a piece of jewelry that
proves to everyone that you are a successful person.
Perhaps the deepest need is to feel important,
valued,
and appreciated
—to yourself and in the eyes of others.
When you can design and tailor your product
to meet the needs of an individual’s status,
esteem, and prestige,
then you’ve reached the bottom of the buyer’s soul
and often make them want to buy.
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Emotions falsify judgment
When you lead a need into a passion,
the customer’s desire to buy will arise so intensely that
all concerns about price become secondary
or even irrelevant.
For example, some gentlemen are too preoccupied
with trying to please ladies for very romantic reasons,
so they cannot make the right decision on price.
This is why they often buy jewelry,
perfume,
expensive bouquets,
or even more luxurious items
when immersed in love.
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5. Health and fitness
Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life.
Economists have predicted that
the business of health care products
such as vitamins and minerals
and exercise equipment will become a multi-billion dollar business.
We all want to be healthier,
slimmer and more fit.
We also want to have a lot of energy,
want to be healthy to benefit the family.
As a result, we are drawn to products
and services that serve that purpose.
If your product
or service can improve the quality of life of your customers
at a reasonable cost,
people who are prone to fatigue
and overweight will be eager to talk to you.
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6. Praise and recognition
An important need that everyone agrees on is recognition.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Everyone loves to be praised.”
One of the definitions of self-esteem
is “A person’s feeling that they are worthy of praise.”
Therefore, every time one is praised
and recognized for an achievement,
big or small,
every individual will feel better and happier.
When you can arrange your product
or service in such a way that
users feel more recognized and empowered,
you can generate a desire to buy from customers.
The need for praise always stands
At the top of all emotions,
it is also self-esteem.
Convincing customers that
they will be further recognized
by using your product or service,
you also help significantly reduce the customer’s concern about price.
Convincing customers that
they will be further recognized by using your product or service,
you also help significantly reduce the customer’s concern about price.
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7. Power, influence and popularity
There are many needs that
you can rely on to make a sale.
People want power and influence,
they are willing to buy products
and services that give them these.
Everyone wants to be famous
and loved by others,
if your product
or service satisfies that
then you have more potential customers.
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8. Always at the forefront
Another deep-rooted need
and aspiration
is the desire to be seen as fashionable.
We all want to be seen as trendy,
modern,
pioneers in work, in society.
Many people buy your product
or service simply because it’s the latest.
They want to be at the forefront.
They want to be the first to buy and own it.
When segmenting customers,
the term calls them “pioneers”.
They account for 5-10% of the market.
They will buy just because it’s new and different.
When you tell a customer
“You are the first to have this product”
or “You are the first of the people around to own this product”,
then you are stimulating the desire
to buy products of pioneers.
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9. Love and Friendship
Today there are millions of people using internet dating services,
connecting people with similar interests together:
always longing for friendship
and good relationships.
Many people join clubs
and associations to meet other people,
especially people of the opposite sex.
One of the motives for social action is love and friendship.
When you can make the product more attractive to customers,
they will immediately want to buy from you.
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10. Personal development
One of the greatest needs in the twenty-first century
is to have a wide range of knowledge
and skills.
Everyone wants to feel competent,
to learn new skills,
and to stay on top of their work.
They want to progress quickly,
to outperform
and rise above the competition,
both inside
and outside the company,
and in other areas of their lives.
Many products evoke a desire
for self-expression and knowledge.
This is because the need for self-expression
and self-expression is so widespread.
Everyone wants to feel
they are becoming what they are.
When you promote that
your product can help people succeed
and better themselves,
you spark a desire to buy.
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11. Personal transformation
Perhaps the most abstract need,
which costs people the most money,
is the desire for personal transformation.
If customers feel that
your product will take them to a higher level in life,
work and make them a different person,
then they will be willing to spend unlimited.
Not long ago
I was talking to the vice president of a Midwestern manufacturing company.
He is a seasoned golfer.
He tries to play golf at least twice a week,
on vacation he also plays 5-6 days a week,
sometimes even twice a day.
“I’ll pay $50,000 cash to any professional golfer
who lowers my score with just two dribbles,”
he said. This is a form of personal transformation,
acquiring a new skill in an area that is important
to you will be worth $50,000!
People often accept to pay a lot of money
to have plastic surgery to improve their appearance,
or to enjoy a vacation at a treatment center
to help them lose weight and get in shape.
Personal transformation is purely emotional.
Becoming more perfect is a universal desire
and powerful driver of purchase intent.
You promote that your product,
has the ability to permanently improve certain characteristics of work or life,
then, usually,
you already have revenue.
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Chapter 1. BUYING DECISIONS ARE COMMON FEELINGS
Buying decisions are based on emotions
and the fact that everything you do is very emotional.
Everyone is based on the principle of emotional decision
and logical adjustment.
You only use logic to regulate
and rationalize your decisions once you’ve made them.
When you say you’re going to do something because it’s “logical,”
you mean it’s more emotional than anything else.
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People make decisions by feeling and control by logic.
People have many different emotional states,
but which emotion is strongest at a given time
will determine an individual’s actions at that time.
For example, a person may have expectations
for your product or service.
But the fear of losing money
or making a mistake can be stronger
than the desire to improve,
and the customer will
hesitate when deciding to buy.
Stronger feelings override weaker emotions.
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Increase the desire to buy
The only way to overcome the fear of loss
—the negative emotion that prevents buying
—is to increase the desire to improve
—the positive emotion that
increases the intensity of the desire to buy,
and that emotion will help you sell.
Any action to increase the intensity of the customer’s desire to buy,
as well as to reduce the fear of making a mistake or loss,
brings you closer to the opportunity to make a sale.
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Reduce fear of loss
Marketing expert Jay Abraham has helped many companies raise hundreds
of millions of dollars
by convincing customers that
the goods offered by the company come with an unconditional warranty.
He is very famous for his policy of “Better than a refund”.
Accordingly, customers are committed that
they will not only get their money back
if they are not satisfied,
but can also receive,
or keep,
rewards
and gifts of considerable value.
One of our services (the author) is
to provide professional development
and personal development to improve corporate financial
and management performance.
The training course lasted more than 52 weeks.
We have assured our students
that they will be satisfied
with the results of the course,
otherwise they will get their money back.
In addition,
they will be allowed to keep more than $3,000 worth of study materials,
including textbooks,
audio and video tapes.
This is indeed an attractive proposition.
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Want to think more?
When a customer wants to “think more”
before making a decision,
they are actually talking about one of two things about your product:
First, they may not really want to buy
or like the product,
that you are selling.
For some reason,
you have not convinced them
that your product
or service definitely helps customers more than
its monetary value.
Second, a person is skeptical
and delays the purchase decision
because they find the supplier’s assurances unconvincing.
They say you haven’t given them enough reason
to decide to buy from you.
In their minds,
the fear of loss
or confusion outweighs the benefits of your offer.
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Focus on value
In the value business process,
focus on explaining the value
and benefits customers will receive if they buy from you.
Instead of offering discounts or special offers,
focus your efforts on building value.
This only makes sense
when customers perceive the value they receive is much greater
than the cost of the purchase.
Focus on making the value bigger
and bigger instead of making the sale.
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Sales to small businesses
There are many SME sales people to startups.
If those salespeople aren’t careful,
it’s easy to get caught up in pitching the product’s features
and benefits without taking the time to pinpoint exactly
what kind of customer they need to talk to.
Small businesses succeed
because they focus most of their resources on making sales
and satisfying customers.
They have little patience with too much detail.
They consider bookkeeping,
accounting or financial work
to be undesirable but still necessary things that
they must do in the process of providing products
and services,
so let’s talk about sales and profits.
If a salesperson is trying to sell a business owner computers
and software that can help them improve their accounting,
they’re only glancing at it.
They will lose interest in you immediately.
They don’t consider accounting to be about profits,
they’re not the people you need to talk to.
Small businesses care about business and cash flow.
They are interested in communicating with customers
and providing products
and services that satisfy customers.
They focus on the efficiency
and reputation of the goods they provide.
They care about sales,
profits,
and growth.
They don’t care about internal details.
To make a sale, you need to focus your time
and energy on figuring out exactly what makes a customer buy.
The more time you spend defining a specific need that
satisfies your customer,
the easier it will be to present and sell.
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Sales to resellers
Resellers who buy your products
and then resell them only care about one thing:
net profit.
They don’t care what the product is,
but only care what the product does
and how it affects their end goal.
The most important benefit a product
or service can bring to a reseller is an increase in net profit.
The most important benefit a product
or service can bring to a reseller is an increase in net profit.
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Sales to large businesses
Businesses only buy products
that can help them improve efficiency
and productivity,
cut costs, or increase cash flow
and profits.
You need to understand the highest benefits
that your product or service can bring to customers
That benefit can improve productivity,
can increase the efficiency of both equipment and users,
help customers have better business results,
satisfy buyers even more.
If you can convince business customers that
the type of product you are selling can make
or save more money
and time than the purchase price,
then you will make a sale.
This is a decisive factor when selling to businesses.
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Focus on basic benefits
During a seminar,
a woman in the office automation business told me,
“I can’t seem to get customers.
I recommend that we consult office automation systems,
but they always say not interested.”
Usually, she says,
the company can save customers a decent amount of money
if given the opportunity to test their equipment
and make recommendations.
I asked her how to approach customers.
“I called and said, ‘Hi, I’m Betty Dean,
from Office Automation Services Company.
I would like the opportunity to introduce our products,
which can increase the efficiency
and smooth running of operations in the office.”
But they always say things like,
“No thanks.
I’m very busy,
we don’t have time right now,
we can’t afford it,
we don’t have the budget for this” and so on.
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Review the approach
This salesperson made the mistake of trying to make a sales call,
she’d be better off just trying to make an appointment at first.
I suggest you try a different approach:
next time you call
and ask to speak to the person in charge.
Once you’ve reached them,
say: “Hi, I’m Betty Dean,
I’m calling from ABC.
We have built a process that
can save your company 20-30% in office management costs.
It will only take about 10 minutes
to demonstrate how the process works
and you can decide for yourself
if it is what you are looking for.”
She later told me that
it was a simple change of approach,
but it allowed her to meet all the clients she needed.
Sales doubled,
tripled and she quickly made more money than before.
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Tell your customers what they want to hear
It sounds simple,
but thousands of salespeople were delighted
when they understood this rule.
No more office automation products,
computers,
servers,
wireless connections,
mobile phones
or anything else,
business people only care about making
or saving money and time.
They are interested in how to get better results and increase profits.
There are two ways a business can increase profits.
It is possible to increase revenue,
keep costs constant,
or can reduce costs and keep revenue constant.
No matter what kind of product you’re selling,
you need to describe it in one of two ways that
increase profits, or both.
If you talk to the person in charge of administration,
he is interested in reducing costs,
if you talk to the person in charge of marketing or sales,
she is interested in increasing sales and profits,
and if you talk to the boss,
maybe he wants to improve the business background.
You need to present your product
or service the way the customer wants it,
not what you’re selling.
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What do customers pay for?
The secret to making a sale is to ask what
a person does and achieves,
what drives his work,
what he pays for,
what he wants the company to achieve,
how does he evaluate leaders?
Those are suggestions for you
to ask to find the answer.
As we said,
people are always looking for ways
to improve the situation.
They will only buy if the results are better.
In agencies,
people will only approve a purchase
if they feel it improves their personal position in the organization.
For example,
you are promoting a sales training system with a sales manager
who is the decision maker in this area.
Your entire presentation should focus on improving sales performance rather
than increasing profits.
The person in charge of sales is not responsible for the profitability
but for the performance of the salesperson.
Focus on the benefits that
this customer cares about,
rather than general interests that
don’t affect their job or salary.
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Corporate and personal interests
Sales professionals often make a distinction
between “business goals”
and “personal goals”.
Achieving business goals means
the company derives benefits
from using your product or service.
Achieving personal goals means that
individuals will benefit
when your product is successfully operated by the company.
The company will only buy
if it sees a benefit to both sides.
Take the time to define how to personalize your customers
also benefit from it,
such as higher income,
more convenience,
even more prestige
and respect from everyone in the company.
These will likely be the main factors that
lead to the purchase decision.
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Discover basic needs
The key to preparing a baseline needs analysis
is to know how to ask questions skillfully
and to listen carefully.
The best salespeople often take the listening
and let the customer do the talking.
When you talk, the more you ask
and patiently listen to the answers,
the more open the customer will be.
Everyone spends most of their time thinking about themselves.
No matter what, people are stuck
with their own problems and concerns all day long.
The most important thing
for each person is the occupation that occupies his mind.
When you ask questions
and listen attentively,
you spark the customer’s concerns and thoughts.
And everything can be decided in that conversation.
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Talk nonsense
In psychological analysis, this is called slander.
Psychologists have found that
if you let someone talk about themselves freely,
they are bound to lie.
They will say what they really think.
The job of psychologists is
to create a comfortable environment in which patients
can express themselves openly
and honestly.
In a way,
you are also considered a sales psychologist.
Your goal is also to create a comfortable environment:
ask good questions,
listen attentively to the answers,
lean forward,
nod, smile,
and don’t try to interrupt the customer.
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Use open-ended questions
The best questions to open up a conversation
and get more information from a customer are open-ended questions.
These are questions that begin with pronouns or adverbs
such as what,
where,
when,
how,
who,
and why.
These are questions that
cannot be answered yes or no.
They need broader answers,
giving you the opportunity
to capture the real needs of your customers
that your product can satisfy.
There is a principle that “telling does not sell”,
only asking questions can sell.
Don’t get creative when you talk about your product or service.
However,
it is very good if you convey information in the form
of asking a series of questions
from general to specific.
Nowadays, people don’t want to be forced to buy.
Maybe they want to buy,
but they don’t want to feel forced to buy.
When customers feel compelled to make a purchase decision,
they stop immediately and lose interest and interest.
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The one who asks the question is the one in control of the situation
As a rule, the person asking the question is
always the one in control of the situation.
The person who answered the question was the person under control.
As long as you ask questions
and listen attentively to the answers,
you are in control of the conversation,
and should be.
If you are the one answering the customer’s questions,
the customer is in control.
If the prospect asks you back,
rather than just passively answering (most people do),
then stop asking,
take a breath,
and say,
“That’s a good question.
But first may I ask you something?”
In other words,
embrace the question
and take back control by asking your own question.
You do it a few times,
everything will become natural
and proactive,
and the customer still has no idea what happened.
And you will continue to be in control.
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Correctly define your role
Today, good salespeople always claim
to be consultants to customers,
not just sales people.
As a consultant, your job
is to help customers solve their problems with the product
or service you are providing.
A better salesperson will find a way
to identify what issues are most pressing for customers
and can be solved with your product or service.
Then he will focus all his efforts on convincing the customer that
your product will give them the most satisfactory solution.
Define your role as a friend,
counselor,
or supporter more than any other role.
Take the time to understand your customer’s need
and then help them understand that your product can satisfy
that need better than other products.
*******************
Learn and teach
Define your role as a teacher.
When you ask questions,
you will understand the customer’s needs,
when you refer;
You will show your customers how to get the most out of your product.
When you approach each sales situation as a friend,
consultant,
and teacher,
you greatly reduce the stress of selling,
reducing the chances of failure or rejection.
And so, both the seller and the customer will feel more comfortable.
When you approach each selling situation as a friend,
a consultant,
and a teacher,
you greatly reduce sales stress.
*******************
Stop talking and listen
Sell with words,
but buy back in silence.
Many salespeople spoke too loudly
and too quickly
because they were nervous,
no comfortable in silence.
They have to fill the empty time with clever comments
or observations about their products or services.
But in fact it shouldn’t be.
When asking questions
and advising customers about your products and services,
allow quiet moments for the conversation
to give the customer time to reflect
and understand what you have to say.
Shouldn’t be in a hurry.
Be calm and relaxed,
let the sale progress naturally,
without pressure or push.
This will create a comfortable state for customers
so that they can make purchasing decisions.
*******************
Present your idea as an improvement
People often behave very strangely under certain circumstances.
They want things to make them better,
but everything has to stay the same.
This is especially true
when buying and selling a new product.
Very few people want something completely new.
Therefore, if the product is completely new
and has not been tested in the market,
the risk will be very high.
It may not work.
You may lose money unjustly.
This is why most customers are considered “slow to adapt”.
They wait until the product has been tested before buying it.
The solution to this hesitant instinct is
to describe the product
as an “improvement” rather than an entirely new
or different product.
Explain new features in terms of improvements in technology,
pioneering steps,
developments added to make a better,
more useful product.
*******************
Please tell the truth
Customers always want to know the truth about the product.
They want authentic information about the benefits
that will come from the product.
At the same time,
they will resent and react when under a lot of pressure.
The more you focus on helping customers satisfy their needs comfortably,
the closer the two will come together.
The more you focus on explaining in detail the benefits your product
can bring to customers,
the easier it will be for customers to buy from you.
Customers are looking for honest advice
that makes their work and life better.
The more dedicated you are to helping your customers get there,
the easier it will be for them to buy from you.
*******************
Quality is still not enough
Many salespeople get stuck on the topic of quality.
Their main argument
when selling is that the product is very quality.
But quality is not the primary reason for deciding to buy anything.
Quality is logical reasoning,
and people buy emotionally.
Something more important than quality is usability.
The saying “my products are of the highest quality” means nothing.
The only thing that customers care about is:
“What does it do for me?
Does it turn out the way I want it to?
Does it fit my goals?”
You could say that Rolls Royce and Mercedes are high-quality cars,
but if all you need is a car to get to work,
you don’t need to buy one of these.
Quality is not up for debate.
*******************
Compare quality and price
You can argue about quality when you compare your higher priced product
to another lower priced product.
You need to give your customers a reason
to choose a high-quality product over a low-priced product.
You need to be smart that customers will benefit
from your high-quality product,
rather than buying another low-quality product at a cheaper price.
If you’re selling sleds to an Alaskan,
the quality will be more of an issue than the price.
If he was driving a sled over the snowy polar regions
and his engine broke down,
he would freeze to death
before he could get back.
In this case,
the benefit is the money spent on high-quality goods
– the most important issue.
If you’re selling a car to someone
who needs to cross the Sahara,
the quality of the car is of the utmost importance.
If the car broke down in the middle of the desert,
where there was not a single person and not a drop of water,
the person would surely die before being helped.
*******************
Explain why the quality of your product is important
If good quality is not essential to the customer,
then that is not the point.
When explaining the quality characteristics of your product,
you need to explain the direct benefit to the customer.
Customers need to see a direct relationship
between paying more for good quality
and the direct benefits they receive.
All customers have the same question in mind:
So what? Every time you tell a customer about your product,
imagine them looking at you and shrugging:
“So what?” What customers really want to know is
“What does it do for me?
What use are the features you are recommending for me?
Why is such high quality important to me?”
Make sure that everything you tell your customers about your product
is useful to the customer,
make sure they understand this.
Every time you tell a customer about your product,
imagine them looking at you and shrugging: “So what?”
*******************
Relevancy tops the table
Your product needs to be consistent
with the needs of the customer at some point,
before any quality issues can be taken into account.
An example of this is the popularity of Japanese cars.
Japanese cars are famous for being good and durable.
Sold at a reasonable price,
they become an ideal product
and suitable for the majority of people
when choosing to buy a car.
They are also fuel efficient.
And in addition to the fit factor
they are also of good quality.
But quality always comes after relevance
and usefulness.
This is why it’s important
to put all of your customer’s needs first
before you even convince them of your product
as a model for perfection.
*******************
Everything needs to be taken into account!
One of the top selling principles is:
Everything counts!
Everything you do is either helpful or harmful.
They can make or break,
they can bring you closer
to a sale opportunity or further distance you from it.
Nothing neutral.
There is always a “spillover effect” in sales,
as in all human relationships.
Customers assume that
if your presentation
or work goes well,
the rest,
your product, is likely to be of high quality as well.
A good impression often gives you the power
to create a buzz in terms of quality
and professionalism.
Everything needs to be taken into account.
*******************
Your appearance also needs to be taken into account – Necessary!
Digging into this aspect,
your appearance
and clothing also reflect the quality of your product.
Most of the company’s contacts
with customers come from you personally.
Therefore,
your external style
and behavior also have a lot of impact on purchasing decisions,
it makes customers feel more secure.
You have a 95% chance of making a good impression
on your customers with your outfit.
Simply because, in most cases,
clothing covers up to 95% of the body.
When you dress neatly,
elegantly,
with clean shoes and look professional,
customers will immediately think
that you are working for a successful company
and you specialize in providing excellent products
and services.
What’s more,
when you’re always on time,
polite, and well-prepared,
the positive impression
you make will impact everything you do
and the products you sell.
Conversely, if the salesperson is always late,
unprepared,
and poorly organized,
the customer will immediately assume
that “it looks like it does it,”
that your company is second-rate
and only sell poor quality products.
*******************
The most successful companies
The most successful companies often have the best-looking
and most well-trained salespeople.
Companies like IBM
and Hewlett Packard interview sales candidates multiple times
to make sure they are qualified
to represent them in the competitive marketplace.
They invite candidates to dinner
to see how food is used and behave in a social context,
meet with the candidate’s family
to check the level of harmony with relatives,
interview each candidate individually,
and group interviews, etc.
Bosses understand that
who is selling will be an important part of a customer’s buying decision.
*******************
Identify primary and secondary needs
Identify the primary
and secondary needs of your customers that
your product can fulfill, then give them proof.
You can gain information
by tactfully asking questions
and listening carefully to the answers.
Soon customers will be interested
and question the effectiveness of the product you offer.
This is your opportunity to promote sales.
For example, when selling computers
and software to businesses,
amateur salespeople often take a long time
to talk about the device’s distinctive features.
But the customer doesn’t care.
They want to know if the product is worth the money,
is it durable,
and how well these are guaranteed.
That’s when they need to know
if their decision is wise or not.
*******************
Let’s focus on the customer
Instead of thinking for yourself,
focus all your attention on the customer.
Since you can only think of one thing at a time,
the more you focus on the customer
the more comfortable and confident you will feel
– and the more positive
and enthusiastic your customers will be with you.
Another way to relieve stress is
to ask customers about their life or work
and listen to their answers.
Imagine you are in a dark room with a client.
On the table is a rotating base lamp
with a sound sensor.
Every time someone speaks,
the lamp will rotate its axis,
shining towards that person.
So who will get the spotlight,
you or the customer?
The lights will shine mainly towards the customer
– the most important object.
Every time a customer speaks
and answers a question,
the light shines on them.
Every time you talk about the customer and their needs,
goals, or requirements,
the light is also on the customer.
When you redirect to talk about you,
your product,
your service,
your company,
your daily life,
your lights.
will shine the focus on you and the customer is left in the dark.
Keep the spotlight on your customers as much as possible,
the more likely you are to make a sale.
And if the spotlight is focused on you,
the less likely your sales will be.
*******************
Customers buy benefits and solutions
Customers don’t buy the product,
they buy the benefits they get from the product.
They buy solutions to solve their problems.
They buy what can meet their needs.
So again, focus all your attention on the customer.
Ask questions like:
– What are you currently doing in this field?
– What is your current job like?
– What are your plans for the future?
– If you had one wish, what would it be?
– What makes you interested in our products, or other products?
The person asking the question is always the one in control of the situation.
*******************
Why buy, why not?
In every deal,
there is always a key benefit that the customer is looking for.
Your job is to find that
benefit and convince the customer that
they will get it if they own your product.
Besides, every deal also has a reason
to oppose the purchase decision.
It is important that you find this reason
and find a way to counter it to reassure the customer.
*******************
Focus on the 20% indicator
We talked about the 80/20 rule.
This rule also applies with the customer’s consideration
when deciding to purchase.
Up to 80% of purchasing decisions depend on 20% of the benefits
you offer your customers.
Sometimes it’s even the 90/10 rule
(90% of purchasing decisions can be based on 10% of the product’s features and benefits).
Your job is to find that 10%.
If you focus too much on features
and benefits that depend on 80% of the customer’s attention,
you will hurt your chances of selling.
Even if your product is the best in the world
but belongs to that 80% of the reason,
you will not be able to convince the customer.
But if you focus on 10%
or 20% benefits and convince customers
that they will get these benefits
from your product and service faster,
better than other options,
then the opportunity sales will become more favorable.
*******************
End with “hot key”
One of the most effective finishing methods is finishing with “hot keys”.
This trick is pretty simple
and has worked well for the best salespeople.
With a clever way of asking questions
and carefully listening to answers,
you will definitely grasp the “hotkey”,
which is the essential benefit that
customers seek in your product or service.
Your job is only to focus all your efforts on convincing customers
they will get this benefit with your product or service.
The success of your “hotkey” closing depends on your ability
to find the customer’s most important reason to buy.
Then continue using the method above.
Put the focus of the sale on that crucial point.
Do everything you can to convince the customer that he
or she will have a decisively important interest in the purchase.
Use “hotkeys” in sales.
How do you find the “hotkey”?
Simply ask a question,
especially when the customer is hesitant or in doubt.
“Sir, suppose you bought this product,
what made you decide to do so?”
Then you should be quiet.
To a hypothetical question,
customers will often respond without thinking:
“Oh, I guess I was convinced by [the “hotkey” you need to catch up on].”
Just like when talking nonsense,
usually the “hot key” will be blurted out by the customer.
And then you’ll turn to convincing them to buy to quickly get that
“hotkey” benefit from your product.
*******************
Market research quickly and inexpensively
This is an effective way that
can double your sales in a short time.
Make a list of your 10 most recent customers.
Call them and say something like,
“Sir, I called to thank you for purchasing our product.
How’s everything?
Is there anything else we can do for you?”
Customers may ask you again
or they may have a problem with the product.
If so, commit to solving the problem immediately
after the conversation.
Then ask:
“Sir, I have a question for you.
You could have bought this product
or service from another company,
but you chose our product.
So can you tell me the reason for this decision?”
This is a very powerful market polling question.
Be quiet and let the customer think for a few seconds
before they respond.
Most importantly, do not interrupt.
*******************
A great discovery
Here is an important discovery that you will make.
Out of 10 customers you have called,
8 will give you the same reason why they bought from you.
And often you are completely unaware
that is the real reason why customers buy from you.
When you get your answer,
write it down.
From then on,
every when you meet a new customer say,
“Almost all of my traditional customers think they decided to buy from us because of
And what does this mean to you?”
*******************
Cherry tree in bloom
This is a true story about a real estate agent
who took a couple of clients on a home tour.
The design of the house was not beautiful,
but as soon as they stopped in front of the house,
the wife saw in the backyard a beautiful blooming cherry tree.
The wife exclaimed:
“Oh, Harry, there is this cherry tree in bloom!
When I was a kid,
my family also had a cherry tree in the backyard.
I would love to be in the house
with the cherry tree again.”
They got out of the car
and went inside to see the house.
And the broker had time to record what the other woman had just said.
The husband examines the house carefully.
First, he said,
“Looks like we’re going to have to change the carpet in this house.”
The broker said,
“Yes, that’s right.
But look, from here,
you can look straight across the dining room,
and on the right are the beautiful cherry blossoms.”
The wife immediately looked through the window
and smiled at the cherry blossoms.
The realtor knew that
she was the primary decision maker on whether
to buy the house or not.
So he focused on his wife.
They went to the kitchen,
and the husband said,
“This kitchen is a bit small,
and the plumbing looks a bit old.”
The broker said,
“Yes, it is.
But when you look through this window
while you’re cooking,
you can see the cherry tree full of flowers in the yard.”
They continued upstairs to see the rest of the house.
The husband complained again:
“The bedrooms are too small,
the wallpaper is out of fashion,
the other rooms have to be repainted.”
The broker said,
“Yes, but notice that
from these rooms you can all see the beautiful cherry blossoms.”
And by the end of the tour,
the wife was so excited about the cherry tree
that she couldn’t see anything else.
They decided to buy the house
because the realtor had found a “hotkey”:
it was a blooming cherry tree.
In every product or service you sell there is a “blooming cherry tree”.
In every product or service you sell there is a “blooming cherry tree”.
If this is a real potential customer,
he will definitely like something in your product.
That is the benefit that customers really want.
Find that benefit by asking questions
and listening to the answers,
and then convincing the customer that
they will get that benefit from buying from you.
******************
PRACTICE
1. Make a list of the needs
that customers want your product to meet,
arrange the list by importance to the customer.
Find customers and focus on these needs to make sales.
2. Regularly probe the market
through your traditional customers,
find out the benefits that your product meets
and make them buy from you,
not someone else’s.
3. Identify the essential benefit the customer is looking for,
then find a way to explain that benefit in every sale.
4. Identify what customers do
and don’t really know
that they may already know
when using or not using your product.
5. Dress well for your success,
learn how to dress appropriately for work
to look more professional when meeting clients.
6. Prepare open-ended questions
that you can use to control the sales conversation
and find out the customer’s real need,
keep the spotlight on the customer
by asking questions,
and listen to the answer.
7. Think of yourself as a friend,
a consultant,
and a teacher to the customer,
focus on helping and explaining
to the customer rather than selling.
When we help others, we help ourselves.
We do good and that very thing comes back to us. – Flora Edwards
