Have you seen the Michelin tire ad on TV? The one with the baby in the tires?
I was watching TV a few years ago and saw it. It reminded me that my wife’s car needed new tires.
I decided to stop by the local tire dealer on the way to work the next day and see what was available. I wanted to understand my options.
I asked the tire dealer for a recommendation on a good quality but not top of the line tire, something that would be good for the wife’s Plymouth Voyager van.
We discussed several tire alternatives in a wide range of prices and with varied quality and features.
After considering the alternatives, I decided on a set of mid-priced tires, and made an appointment to have them installed the following Saturday.
That night at home I couldn’t concentrate. All I kept thinking about were those tires. Are they going to wear well? Are they going to last? What about the warranty? What about the price? Should I wait and check the month end sales in the newspaper? What about safety? After all it is my wife and children. What about rain handling? Is my wife’s van going to skid off the wet road in the rain? I could see my wife and children in a ditch off the side of the road!
I suggest that we all go through a similar process in making a decision to buy. It does not mater if it is a candy bar, a new car or a home. We all go through three phases. First, “do I have a need?” Second, “what are the available solutions to my need?” Third, “what is the risk – to buy or not buy?”
In my tire example above, the TV commercial helped me recognize my need. That led me to look at the alternative solutions at the tire store. And, finally, I couldn’t sleep for thinking about the risk associated with the tire purchase decision I had made. Respectively, that was need, solution and risk.
As sellers we need to be in alignment with our buyers or we can unconsciously disconnect the sale. Sellers talking to their buyers about solutions when the buyer has not yet decided they have a need – not in alignment. Sellers hearing buyer risk statements as objections – not in alignment.
When the buyer is in the need phase, the seller should help develop the needs and negotiate the buying process with the buyer. When the buyer is in the solution phase, the seller should demonstrate or prove how the seller’s capabilities satisfy the buyer’s needs. When the buyer is in the risk phase, the seller should help the buyer deal with the fear of consequences. Phase 3 is were a lot of sales are lost. The seller should not try to answer or solve fear objections – that would just signal the buyer that his fear is real. The seller should empathize and be “understanding” of the concerns and remind the buyer of the benefits of the decision to buy in solving the need. |
