Ever had a case of “buyer’s remorse”?
You got caught up in the heat of the moment, the sales pitch, felt you really wanted it and bought. Could have been a few dollars or a very large sale.
Then regretted your decision.
You wondered if you’ve done the right thing. Could you have got a better deal? Worried what people will think. How’d you justify your purchase to your friends or family.
You’d just experienced “Cognitive dissonance” or “buyer’s remorse”.
All successful salespeople understand one core principle.
We buy on emotion and seek to justify the decision with logic. Effectively two halves of every buying decision.
As a salesperson, neglect one at your peril.
Both emotions and logical buying criteria must be addressed for the sale is to stick leaving you a client happy with their decision now and into the future.
Therefore you must give your prospects “reasons why this is a good deal” in both logical and emotional terms.
BTW, this article is a continuation of a previous article, “Why nobody cares about your product”.
Logic covers all the features and benefits. Could be how something is made. The process you go through to deliver. The ingredients you use. The outcomes they’ll get.
Logic helps people justify their decisions. To themselves and anyone else that matters to them.
Ever looked for a new car? Noticed the glossy car brochures start with nice pictures, but then go into pages and pages of detail on engine power, gearbox ratios, diagrams of suspension and other parts?
Incredible detail many of you may never be interested in.
But they interest some of us. And provide the “logical” proof which backs up the emotion of “I want this car and look, here are all the logical reasons I made the right decision”.
The same concept holds true whether you’re selling accounting, financial planning, plumbing or build houses.
Your prospects need to justify to themselves or others why they chose you. Explain what goes into creating or delivering your product or service. Give them reasons they can relate to.
We’ve covered getting emotional buy-in at length in other articles.
Suffice to say, you need to figure out what’s in it for them emotionally.
How will this purchase decision make them look good, feel good, get that promotion, keep them safe, not have them lose their job etc.
Both aspects have to be completely covered or you risk losing the sale.
Now, your job isn’t over once they’ve bought and walked out the door.
This is when doubts can surface.
Which is why many high priced consumer items have letters in the packaging “Congratulating you on your purchase”.
These letters go on to reiterate the logical benefits of the product. And how you’ll feel using it.
A one off service provider like a Plumber could send a Thank You note detailing the care they’ve taken to accomplish the job. Maybe a surprise bonus or a voucher for another service.
One last important point.
You may think they buy because you’re the best at blah, blah, blah [some process].
But your clients don’t give a toss. They buy for their reasons not yours. Both logical and emotional.
So if you want to improve your marketing so you attract more good quality buyers, ask your clients why they bought. What they were looking for and whether their needs were ultimately met.
You’re looking for both logical and emotional answers.
You’ll soon find commonalities which you can then use in your marketing and sales material.
And if you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, we can arrange to interview your key clients.
We’ll discern why they bought, what value you provide in their eyes and help you put together marketing and sales material which will speak to prospects in terms they resonate with allowing you to profitably grow your business.
Call us on (02) 9499-7958 to get started.
