Buyer resistance or selling stall occurs when client can see more reason not to buy than to buy. Your job is to change that. It is often the case that a person who could have been easily persuaded choose to wait, what you need to do is to be able to recognise this and convince them to buy now rather than later.
Do not be too aggressive or lie to the potential buyer. Both of these tactics apart from being morally dubious will only put a consumer off and damage your reputation. Even if you get away with lying in the short term you will be setting up real problems long term.
If you have a service or product that a buyer cannot see, touch or feel, it is far easier for a buyer to convince themselves not to buy now, as they do not feel there is any need for them to rush. If this is the case then try and make your product more logical, vivid or emotional, try to make the buyer feel the need to buy your product now, not wait till later. (This is further explained in the subcategory “for services.”)
Selling Goods
If your product is something that the consumer can see and touch then here are some questions that you might find helpful to ask the buyer:
- What aspects do they like about their current product?
- What don’t they like, or like least?
- What would they change?
- What are they looking for in a new product, why they feel a change is necessary?
One way for you to do this is to relate your product or service to the wants and needs of your buyer, show them why they need you product. Talk to the buyer and find some common ground on which you can sell your product.
Don’t be too pushy though as this will only make the potential buyer feel uneasy and more unlikely to buy anything. Make a sound and reasoned argument as to why they need your product but don’t force it, make it as though you are doing them a favor and it is their best interests to buy now.
Selling Services
If you are trying to sell something more service orientated then try asking these questions:
- Have their priorities shifted over the past few months?
- Where do they see themselves in a couple of year’s time?
- What do they need to accomplish these ambitions?
By asking this sort of question you can more easily decide on what your client is looking for. With this information what you then need to do is find how your service will suit the clients interests and relate it back to them. For example the house or car you are selling may not actually be as interesting to the client as the status that a car or house will provide. Similarly with insurance, as whilst it maybe the case that the client may not want insurance per say; they may actually want the security that an insurance policy will give them.
If you have had success in your client’s area of interest in the past then tell them about it. A client needs to be reassured that you know what you are doing and past experiences, especially positive ones, can serve as a massive advantage. Don’t be afraid to show off little and make sure to use proper names and times etc, as this will help you client envision themselves having received the same benefits your previous client did.
When you are closing you pitch or sale, make sure not just to give your client a reason to buy now but also a reason why not to wait. A good way of doing this is to give them options (so as to not make them feel like they are being pressured or bullied.) Give them alternatives as to what will happen if they wait, make sure that buying now offers benefits that greatly outrank the other options. Make sure they know what they are going to miss out on if they wait and how circumstances might have changed by then. Most, when confronted with an honest and straightforward argument such as this will choose to buy now.
With this advice in mind you should now be far better equipped to shorten you selling cycle. But remember it is the end the client’s choice; don’t be so pushy you drive a potential buyer away, it’s better to have to wait than nothing at all.
