It's not you, it's them

and unless you understand "them", you lose. SalesDog.com presents this wisdom:

Getting Inside Your Prospect's Head
by Craig James

Find out how to get inside your prospect's head to determine why they're hesitating to buy, and what you can do about it.

Do you ever shake your head and wonder why so many prospects fail to pull the trigger when you've clearly made a compelling case?

To those of us in sales, it makes no sense - it's clear as day that they should buy. However, for some reason we cannot fathom, it is not so clear to our prospects. Why is this? And, what can we do about it?

When it comes to making a major purchase, buyers' decisions are influenced by numerous factors, many of which are not obvious. Key among these factors are the prospect's:

Personal agenda. This is most clearly defined as the prospect's answer to, "What's in it for me?" These factors are more often driven by emotion than logic. Dominant buying value. Is your prospect the kind of person who is always looking for an opportunity to gain something, or the kind of person who is driven by fear of losing something, and always looking for ways to play it safe? Motivational trigger. What's your prospect's hot button? Money? Convenience? Comfort? Security? To what personal desire do you have to appeal in order to get the prospect in your corner? Buying style. Does your prospect need to feel in control, or does he want and need guidance? Does he need to see all the details, or do details bore and irritate him? Does he view the transaction as a confrontation, or as a collaboration? Is your prospect a maverick who likes to strike out on his own, or does he prefer consensus and the comfort of the crowd? Concerns and worries. These factors are sometimes expressed, but more often are not. They are what are keeping your prospect from making a decision, even though you've clearly shown it's the right decision.

Awareness of these factors, together with your skill at determining which are in play, and how, will increase your odds of connecting with each person on the prospect's buying team. Your awareness will help you to win them over and close the business.

These factors explain why your prospect is hesitating, now for what you can do about it.

As with most everything else in sales, it all begins with effective questioning. For example, to determine an individual's personal agenda, ask open-ended questions such as, "How will a successful purchase or implementation affect you?"

Or, conversely, "How will you be affected if nothing is done?" In complex business-to-business sales, where there are multiple buying influences, your customer is really multiple customers. You need to get inside the head of each and every team member. What is the CFO's chief interest in all this? What's the CIO's biggest concern? What is your sponsor trying to accomplish with this project? To look good to his boss? To his peers? To earn a raise? Or a promotion?

The answers to these questions may also reveal the prospect's dominant buying value, motivational trigger, and buying style. To the extent that they don't, you'll need to ask additional open-ended questions.

The last factor, concerns and worries, is frequently the most difficult to uncover, and the one most likely to stall deals.

To most people, making a decision on a major purchase is daunting. Think about what goes on in your own mind when you're faced with making a major purchase for yourself, or your company. When you arrive at the dreaded time to make a decision, all sorts of typically illogical reasons for not deciding can pop up. "I'll think about it and get back to you," is an easy way of retreating from the decision.

Likewise, prospects let their imaginations run wild, and begin worrying about all the things that could go wrong if they make the wrong decision. They become paralyzed by fear, unable to make a decision. At this point, your task is to draw out their concerns with skillful questioning. Then listen to, observe, and sense what the prospect is conveying. Ask probing questions to surface these concerns and worries. Realize that prospects rarely offer up their concerns without your asking. When they do, it's typically done indirectly, by an off-the cuff remark or comment. When your questioning is done right, your prospect will end up convincing himself that his worries and concerns are unwarranted. He'll then be able to move on and conclude the transaction with you.

Your action item
If prospects are not committing to buy after you've made what you feel is a compelling case, it's likely you either didn't ask enough questions or didn't ask the right questions. You may have asked the right questions but didn't really listen closely to their responses. Perhaps you didn't pick up the non-verbal signals the prospect was giving off. It's likely you didn't help the prospect overcome his lingering concerns or worries. So invest a few moments to dissect the last few deals you've been working on that did not close.

Ask yourself if you definitively know the answers to the first four factors we covered. Did you use that knowledge to customize your approach? Did you resolve any lingering concerns of your prospect? If you've missed any of these factors, find some prospect-focused reason to go back to your prospect (if it's still a live deal) and work in questions that get you the answers you need. Then use that information to better connect with, and sell, that individual. If your manager accompanies you on sales calls, ask him or her to observe how well you're uncovering and addressing these factors. Take the feedback you get and make a conscious effort on your subsequent calls to ask the questions you need to get the information you want. You'll soon have more prospects saying, "When can we get started?"

Sales Solutions Founder and President Craig James has over 12 years experience in sales and sales management, primarily in technology and software. He may be reached at 877-862-8631, by email at Craig@Sales-Solutions.biz or on the web at www.Sales-Solutions.biz.

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