Over the years technology and the access of information have changed How People Buy. But Why People Buy has not changed. Sure, the buying processes and personas have evolved in the social age, and sales and marketing must adjust accordingly to understand their prospects/customers better than ever. With the shift in the power of information prospects are now armed to the teeth with information about your company, products, services, competitors and the current market trends. As a sales professional we must help the prospect discover we understand their world and can relate to the challenges they face in their shoes. Unfortunately, traditional sales conversations that are led with features and benefits of products and services are not aligned with Why People Buy!
Why people buy is deeply rooted in our egos and emotions...People buy emotionally, and make decisions intellectually. One of the biggest mistakes in Business 2 Business selling, and in most selling environments, is neglecting the fact that people buy emotionally. We uncover some surface and business pains that we know our product and service can solve, and we get excited to move into quote and presentation mode for the close. Often resulting in chasing a decision because we failed to fully understand the reasons why and how the prospect is willing to buy.
People buy for two reasons: They are either moving toward pleasure or trying to move away from pain. That’s right. People don’t buy Features and Benefits, they buy ways to avoid or overcome pain. They don’t buy your product or service to solve their business problem, they buy from you because they want to avoid pain, or move closer toward pleasure. It’s more about personal impact, personal priority, and less about business solutions and values! When we engage with clients this is often one of the most difficult barriers to break through because the traditional, stereotypical approach to sales is still deeply ingrained in business.
Sales & marketing have traditionally led with features and benefits. An issue that has plagued the marketing and sales landscape for eons. Every time you share features and benefits with your prospects or clients you are leading them on an intellectual journey that typically results in a think-it over. Why? Because we have shared information they have to consider, think about and process. We remind folks we work with to lead with the emotional side of the brain during discussions with prospective clients, instead of taking them on that intellectual journey dumping features and benefits like the typical pushy, aggressive, fast talking salesperson.
Transforming your sales approach to align with the true reasons why people buy is not an easy task. You have to discover and develop how to communicate in the pains, problems, issues, challenges you help decision makers avoid or overcome. It takes hard work, practice and commitment to actually make it part of your world. It’s an investment that can make all the difference in just getting by, or exceeding your financial goals.
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