One of the things often overlooked in a traditional sales approach is the fact that people buy for their own reasons. So many salespeople get wrapped up in features and benefits and why you should buy their product that they don't even think about what matters to the buyer.
A client of ours who owns a roofing company recently told me a story about a homeowner with storm damage to their roof. The wife was impressed with my client's company and recommended him to two of her neighbors and to her mother who lived in a different neighborhood.
But then she began some of the classic buyer-seller dance behaviors where the prospect's system is to lie, steal, lie, and hide. Eventually, she asked my client to communicate with her husband instead of with her.
She said, "I really want you to take care of everything so we don't have to, but he wants to be the contractor."
By asking the right questions, my client identified that the husband was trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of his claim. My client explained that unless the husband formed a company and filed all the necessary paperwork, he wouldn't be able to actually collect the profits from the insurance company. In that case, it made much more sense to allow an experienced professional to handle the roof replacement and assist with the claim.
My client ended up scheduling the new roofs for the neighbors on either side of that homeowner on consecutive days. The roofing crew completed their work, the gutter subcontractor came and put up new gutters, and the signs went up in the yards. And then the following day, my client finished the mother's roof, gutters, and everything else.
In other words, three houses she had referred to my client were done before her house because of the husband's attempt to play the system.
People buy for their reasons! She was comfortable enough to refer two neighbors and a family member to my client's company, but closing the sale on her house wasn't an easy process because of the cast of characters involved and their reasons for buying.
It's so important to be careful at the decision step of the sales process. Make sure you clearly identify the cast of characters and all of their reasons for buying in order to close the sale.
Crandall is the Principal of Sandler in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He works with business owners and motivated individuals to create and implement Professional Development Strategies to foster the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations.
