For a customer to make a purchase, there are three key questions that must be answered in their mind. If you can answer these questions in a positive manner, you can make the sale. If you shortcut your presentation, don’t hit on all of the important issues, and don’t answer these questions for your customer, then you cannot make the sale. Take the responsibility of providing the needed answers so your clients can buy your products and services.
1. Why should I buy?
A customer will only make a purchasing decision to satisfy a need. The good news is that the need can be real, or it can be perceived.
If someone has a hole in their roof, they have a real need to have it repaired. If a client wants a new roof to dress up the look of their home, then the need is more of a perception. Wanting your house to look nicer is different than solving a problem like a leaky roof.
Someone that goes into a Mercedes dealership is addressing a status need in addition to a real need for transportation. Surely, a Chevrolet or Volkswagen would provide adequate transportation, but those automobiles may not provide the perceived need of having a prestigious car.
Your job during the sales process is to make sure that your client is aware of their needs. You should make them aware of real needs that exist as well as any perceived needs that you can build upon. The more need you can create, the greater the chance that the client will move forward with your proposition.
Do you know what needs your product or service addresses? Create a list of the real needs your product satisfies. Now create a list of the possible perceived needs that you can apply your product to. Be sure and make every client aware of his or her needs!
2. Why should I buy from you?
There are many reasons that someone should buy from you. Below is a list of some of them.
Expertise – What do you bring to the table?
Bonding – How good is your relationship with your client?
Price – Some people buy from the low price provider, some from the high price provider, and some from the middle price provider. The key is to be able to substantiate your price.
Security – What type of warranty or guarantee do you offer? Your client is going to give up their hard earned dollars. They want peace of mind as well as the product or service you offer.
Quality – Does your product have greater quality than your competition? Are there features and benefits that you could elaborate on which would answer this for your client?
Solution – Ultimately, making a sale is solving a problem for your client. They have a need. You have a solution. Is your solution the best possible choice for your client?
Service Uniqueness – Do you offer a unique level of service or support for your client?
Value – Value goes deeper then price. Value is the relationship between their investment and everything they receive in return. Your client gives you money. You provide a product, a warranty, service, support, and more.
Your responsibility is to provide your client with as many “why’s” as possible. Remember, it’s not enough for you to know all of this information. Your clients must have the information if they are to be able to determine that they should buy from you.
3. Why should I buy now?
We all want to put off purchasing decisions. We don’t want to part with our hard earned money. Maybe the price will drop. Maybe the need will go away. It’s a tough decision, and we dislike making decisions.
It is critical that you give your client a reason to make the purchase now; today! One time I was selling replacement windows. The customer was someone I knew. I closed the sale. They said to send them the contract to sign. “Take your time. Whenever it gets here we’ll sign it and return it to you,” they said. I took my time and by the time I got around to getting them the contract, the husband had been transferred and I lost my sale. If I had gotten them the contract that day or the next day at the latest, then we could have measured the window and they would have been in production.
Needs change. If you client has a need today, then make the sale today. Give them a reason to move the process forward. Maybe there is a special offer or a sale. Maybe you expect the prices to go up. Availability can also be an effective motivator. Discontinued products are only available for a limited time. A house in a very desirable neighborhood will not be on the market for long. Laws and governmental regulations may eliminate opportunities in the near future. Whatever the case, let the client know that it is in their best interest to move forward right now.
If you are successful in answering all three questions in your clients minds you will close more sales, make more money, and be on the road to Building a Better Biz.
