Ultimately, if you are going to sell any product or service, there are three questions you must answer in your prospect’s mind. This is true whether you are selling face-to-face or running a display ad. No sale has ever been made without these questions being answered either directly or indirectly.
The first question is: Why should I buy?
This question is all about need. It is the sales professional’s responsibility to illustrate need to the prospect. You cannot wait for the prospect to realize that they need your product or service. You are the expert. You fully understand the benefits of your product and the needs and pains that your product or service addresses. Many times, someone just doesn’t understand his or her needs fully.
Perhaps you sell a product that will reduce someone’s cost or overhead. If the prospect doesn’t realize how high their costs are, or that there is a way of reducing them, then they will not know that they need your product. Long-term health insurance is a prime example of this. Many people in their thirties or even forties do not realize how expensive it is to care for an elderly person. They don’t realize the needs they either have or will have in the future. If you are in the business of selling long-term health care insurance it is your right and obligation to help people realize what their needs are.
Another aspect of this is that a need can be real or imagined. Imagined needs could be ego based rather than just on hard facts. Someone who is buying a car to get to work could use a Ford, but they feel that a Mercedes “looks good” on them. The need is imagined. The real need could be filled with any automobile.
The second question is: Why should I buy from you?
Unless you are a total exclusive in your industry, the only source, the only option, you must help your prospect determine that they must indeed do business with you. If you successfully illustrate a need for your prospect, and then are unable to answer this question, they will eventually invest in your product or service, but unfortunately they will use one of your competitors.
Why should someone buy from you? Here is a short checklist of areas you can use to answer this question in your prospects mind.
Expertise – The product and industry knowledge you posses
Bonding – The relationship you build with your prospect
Price – Low price, middle price, or high price – All can be a reason to buy from you
Security – The warranty or guarantee you offer your client
Quality – How your product stacks up against your competition
Solution – Your ability to apply your product’s/service’s benefits to the specific problem your prospect has
Service – The support you offer after the sale
Uniqueness – The way you differentiate yourself from your competition in exclusives and product/service packaging
Value – Overall relationship of what your offer compared to the investment
You must give your prospects as many “whys” to buy from you as possible.
The third question you must answer is: Why should I buy now?
If you have built up the need so that it is great enough in answering the first question, you will be ahead of the game here. Urgency is the biggest reason to buy now. The urgency may be based on need or it may be based on a promotion or sale you currently have running.
Everyone wants to stall making a decision. They are worried about making a bad choice or giving up their value, money. By applying a little urgency to the situation you are helping your prospect deal with the decision instead of procrastinating.
It is easier to deal with a “yes” or a “no” then to have to deal with, “I want to think it over.” Your ability to help your prospect make their decision and move forward is in their best interest as well. Now they can turn their focus to other issues they face and be efficient with their time.
Answer all three questions in your prospects mind, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!
