Buying habits as it relates to selling

I don’t think anyone would argue with me when it comes to the fact that we are all often much more motivated to take action to keep out of pain than we are to take action to gain something in return. I have had this discussion with Aaron Prickel at Lushin and Associates and asked him to write a little bit about how this buy/sell relationship works. Marketing should always fit your specific audience and what you know about them and how they buy; then your marketing supports the sell.

Let me know if you would like to see more selling articles via this blog and maybe I can persuade Aaron to be a regular.

Do shopping habits impact selling habits?
By: Aaron Prickel, Lushin and Associates

With the buzz surrounding our economy these days, there have been a variety of interesting conversations. Just last week a good friend of mine informed me how he is “hunkering down” and will be more responsible with his money especially when it came time to shopping for specific items. He asked if I would be doing the same, “NOT A CHANCE!” I replied.

Why? Because how you buy is a direct reflection on how you sell. For those of us who are in a professional sales role, our job is to find prospects that we can help and help them discover why they need us.  f we spend a long time deciding whether or not we should buy something, visit multiple stores to make sure we get the best price or do additional research to ensure we are making the best decision…watch out!  You must be careful because prospects will provide the same responses when you are selling to them and you will justify it within your own head and agree with them. This is where sales cycles are extended, you lose business to a competitor because they “had a better price” or the prospect will disappear and you will never hear from them again. People who do not have a Supportive Buy Cycle accept objections, stalls, excuses and comparison shop stories from their prospects because they behave the same way when making purchases of their own.

There are several hidden weaknesses that affect those who sell, this is just one of them, however it is the most powerful. Statistics show when this is corrected salespeople can be up to 50% more effective. To find out how more effective you may be evaluate your own buying process. It will be a good indicator on why projects may take longer to close than necessary.