Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/231807
MARKETING CONSULTANT Joining Buyers on Their Journey BY SCOTT STROUD Is selling a process? Absolutely! But how that process is employed must be adapted to each individual buyer, and that's something a lot of salespeople struggle with. The thing to remember is that selling a new home might be our job, but it's our buyer's journey. The path they take, the speed with which they move and the things that are important along the way, well… that's up to them. Whether we fulfill our job and make the sale depends on how well we align our processes with their journey. Salespeople need to get a better handle on how people buy and match the sales process to their buying process. After all, that's what drives the purchasing decision. A lot of salespeople still talk 'at' prospects instead of to or with them. They spew features of their homes without really considering whether what they are featuring what their prospect wants, needs or is willing to listen to. Instead, lay the sales process down on one side, then put yourself on the other side with the buyer and ask, "What are they doing; what's their process?" Then, arrange your process to align with theirs. Kevin Davis, in his classic book, Getting Into Your Customer's Head, turns the old Critical Path sales approach on its ear, and instead offers 8 specific buying stages that prospects go through (and how decisions are made at each stage), and then outlines 8 corresponding roles that salespeople must take on to help us align our thinking with our buyer's at each stage. For example, our Sales Process might typically begin with 'Meet and Greet'. But that's not always the first thing on our prospect's list. They may be concerned with other questions that need to be addressed before they can relax and get to know us. So, we need to be aware and adaptable so we can follow the customer's lead and keep them engaged. The 'Happening' Every buyer is on the market for a specific reaJANUARY 2014 24 THE JOURNAL son, and each buyer's reason differs from the next. Kerry Mulcrone, author of Model Home, Model Store, suggests we look for the 'happening'– the specific change in circumstances that has created the need for a new home. "It could already have happened, or it could be about to happen, but everyone has a happening that puts them on the market. Your goal as a salesperson is to discover and clearly understand that happening," offers Mulcrone. "Do that, and you'll understand their motivation and be able to keep their sense of urgency high." When you can identify that 'happening' early in the process, then you can keep in sync with them. If we fail to get in sync with our buyers, then we'll never be able to fully convey our worth and value to them. If we're trying to gather information in the discovery phase while they're trying to understand what they can get within their budget, then we aren't moving together and there's no basis for agreement. In that case both processes – the buying process and the selling process – stall out. Finding Alignment and Agreement The key is to ask questions that lead to conversations, because it's only through conversation that you'll come to fully understand what Mulcrone calls the "is/did/will happening." And, when asking open-ended questions, be sure to explain that the reason you're asking is so that you can best help them to achieve their objective; that you're just there to serve them. For example: "I'm so excited to see you out today and there's so much here to see. Please, though, share with me what brings you out today so that I'll know what to show you and how best to help you. At the end of this visit, what I want to do is what you need me to do." Serious buyers – the ones that we want to spend our time with – are craving for someone to understand their needs and help them. But it has to be in a way that they can grasp and feel comfortable with. "We can never throw out the sales process," says Mulcrone, "but we have to make sure it gels with our buyers." In other words, we know the steps in that we need to take to move the sales along, but the customer dictates in which order we take them. Why Salespeople Fail New and untrained salespeople often lack the confidence and patience to understand that it's the customer's journey we should be interested in, not our own. Sales coach, Jeff Shore, calls this our 'comfort addiction.' We're uncomfortable talking about our buyer's problem and feel the need to control the process instead of giving our buyers the opportunity to unfold it for us. "We don't need to be 'large and in charge'", explains Mulcrone. That might be the #1 killer of sales today. Instead, ask the bold questions – the ones that uncover the real needs; be a keen listener and let the customer take the lead when appropriate. You know the steps that need to be covered and can make sure that they are all addressed in time. If you try to push your process at your customer and make them conform to your plan, then you'll likely lose them quickly. On the other hand, if at the end of the visit you've helped your buyer accomplish what they came in to do or achieve, then you've moved the sale forward. T J Scott Stroud helps manufacturers, retailers and communities drive revenue and increase sales through marketing and sales automation. Scott is an accomplished marketing process strategist and Infusionsoft Certified Consultant, and manages and advises small businesses on sales, marketing, automation & technology, and social media. Contact Scott at sstroud@builderradio.com, or call 606-677-0447.