Over the weekend I found myself in a small town of about 118 people. It was early in the morning and I wanted to fix breakfast. My idea for breakfast that morning was eggs and potatoes fixed my way. Going to a restaurant was out of the question. I had a skillet ready to heat with a few eggs, cheese but no potatoes. There were, as I found out, only three locations I might find a potato for sale in this small town. I gathered my three recommendations and began my potato quest. After going to the first two and coming up empty, I was concerned that my craving wasn’t going to be satisfied. I pulled up to the small store, Apple Annie’s, which incidentally was also the post office and video rental location. I found my potato and retrieved it for 80 cents. I walked out of there with a huge smile, satisfied knowing it was going to be great weekend.
If I had not found my potato, my craving would have subsided and lunch would have turned my cravings to a taco or pizza and the importance of a potato would have been a distance memory. This is an example of how customers are with their needs and their timing when it comes to things we sell or offer. Prospects will look to trusted recommendations and engage in a quest to satisfy their wants. It will be important to them at that time, in that moment but the craving won’t last forever.
Timing and cravings
Our customers don’t always buy something because they need it, but they will buy because they WANT it. It is a wise salesperson who can turn a customer’s need into a WANT. Take my potato example. I didn’t need the potato, I WANTED it and I WANTED it really bad. It was a craving that drove me to three different locations and I would have paid more than 80 cents for the potato.
Your customers will have similar cravings that are tied to problems they have. They will need a solution to a problem they have. They will pay anything for a solution to the problem if they are engaged by a salesperson that can turn the simple need into a WANT. How does this magic occur?
In many cases the problem which the customer has a need for is made worse. Yes, worse! This is something a great salesperson will accomplish. Once the problem grows to become larger than life, the customer now WANTS to solve the problem and will pay anything to get it taken care of. Changing the need into a WANT pays huge dividends because the customer feels the pain and wants it to go away.
Needs and Wants don’t last forever
Timing makes a difference in sales which is why we must be top of mind with our customers and prospects. Sometimes the window of opportunity for an order will only last a few days. There are multiple issues the customer will get involved with. If the problem they currently have gets stale and is replaced with a new and larger problem. Our solution will be placed on the back burner. When this happens, we must make the problem larger than life with the customer so they buy, NOW.
If you are working with a customer to resolve a problem. Make it hurt and make them WANT to solve it with your solution before their cravings disappear.
Steve Martinez is a pioneer in automating the sales process for business and salepeople developing customized action plans for business. http://www.sellingmagic.com
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