The Prospect-to-Buyer Disconnect
AG Salesworks is pleased to bring you a guest post from Jeff Shore, an in-demand sales expert, author, speaker and executive coach.
A client of mine presented a difficult but common challenge this week:
“We’re seeing the same numbers of prospects as we have over the past several months; we’re just not converting the sales.”
Been there?
Her statement is based on the idea that a consistent flow of new prospects should translate into a steady stream of new sales. Oh, that it were so easy. The problem is that prospects and buyers are two different animals, and they are driven by two different motivations.
If you want to solve this riddle you need to burn this fact into your brain:
Pain Creates Prospects; Confidence Creates Buyers.
The Pain Motivation
Why does anyone buy anything? The simple (but accurate) answer: because of the desire to improve their lives. So, if we are all motivated by the potential of an improved life, we can infer that something needs improving; that there is dissatisfaction, a problem, and pain.
That pain, when severe enough, will drive us to seek a remedy. The couple whose car is constantly in the shop starts looking for options. The small business owner who cannot accurately keep track of her payroll surfs the web for a software solution. The CEO with damaged customer relationships asks colleagues about effective CRM platforms.
The point is that pain is persistent, and once it shows up, it continues to gain steam until action is taken… and a salesperson is contacted.
The Confidence Booster
But that’s just the start of the journey, isn’t it? Getting someone to talk about what they want and need is no guarantee of a sale—a point that is validated in sales conversations around the globe, every second of every day.
If the pain is so high, why is the conversion rate so low? It all comes down to one elusive element: confidence. Pain may get me to the dance hall, but only confidence will get me to step onto the floor and move!
Buyer confidence (or lack thereof) is the key to every new sale. I can be experiencing all kinds of pain, but if I have no confidence in your remedy, I’m not going to take action.
Assessment Time
It really comes down to just two questions:
1) How deeply do you understand the pain your customers are experiencing?
2) Are you building confidence in them with your remedy?
Get those two things right and the sale will surely follow.
Jeff Shore is a highly sought-after sales expert, speaker, author and executive coach whose innovative BE BOLD methodology teaches you how to change your mindset and change your world.For more than three decades, Jeff has guided executives and sales teams in large and small companies across the globe to embrace their discomforts and deliver BOLD sales results. In a crowded field of sales experts and training programs, Jeff Shore stands out with his research-based BE BOLD methodology. Combining his extensive front-line sales experience with the latest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy research, Jeff has created a highly effective, personalized way to reset sales paradigms and deliver industry-leading results. Jeff doesn’t just teach you how to sell, he shows you how to change your mindset and change your world.His latest book, "Be Bold and Win the Sale: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Boost Your Performance," (McGraw-Hill) was published in January, 2014. Learn more at jeffshore.com and follow Jeff on Twitter.