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Effective Selling ...
Burying Motives ...
Different customers buy the same product or service for different reasons. A good sales person can identify what those
motives are and can emphasis them to increase the chance of a sale. Four steps to uncover buying motives are:
- Ask tactful questions. Questions like "what do you think of this benefit?" or "how does this compare with what you've
seen?" These encourage prospects to reveal their inner-most thinking - their motives for buying.
- Listen carefully. Any remark can give you the clue to the prospect's motives. Too many sales people do not really listen
to customers. They just push ahead with their planned sales pitch. But by listening to customers, you find out what part
of the sales pitch will reach them best.
- Watch for signs of interest. If there is a raised eyebrow, or other sign of increased attention when you make a comment,
you have probably hit a buying motive. If customers are deadpan about a particular point, it probably is not of interest to them.
- Check the person's dress. A person's manner and appearance can give clues to their motives. If they dress well, it may
mean status is a buying motive. Casual dress may mean leisure is the main buying motive.
In order of importance, the main buying motives are usually:
- Selfishness. Almost all sales are made because the customer wants to benefit.
- Health. This can motivate a wide range of sale, including the obvious, like food, and the not so obvious, like mattresses
and holidays.
- Leisure. Even business purchases can be made for the leisure motive.
- Status. Many purchases are made just for the pleasure of owning. While status is not as important as fifty years ago,
the keeping-up-with-the-Jones syndrome still motivates many sales.
- Economy. Savings of time and money are important. But this doesn't necessarily mean that a cheaper purchase is required.
Sometimes expensive, quality products can appeal to this motive very well.
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