Gauging Customer Interest: Are They Ready To Buy?

Customers can be a skittish breed. Most of us in sales have experienced a sales interaction that seemed to be going really well, but then when we tried to close the customer got scared, shut down, and backed out. We’re left wondering what we did wrong.

Here’s the answer to that question: when this happens, it’s usually a sign that we tried to close too soon, relative to the customer’s level of interest. Before we can close successfully, the customer has to be convinced that the value they will receive from a purchase is worth the risk and cost of buying. There needs to be a level of trust, or they won’t believe our claims; there needs to be a connection to their current needs, and a sense of urgency that compels them to buy now rather than putting it off till later.

Understanding the three interest levels that all buyers experience as they move through the sales cycle helps us to avoid trying to close too soon. Our value statements and FABs, regardless of how good they are, will fall on deaf ears if we are not staying “in sync” with the customer, and using them at the proper time. Even worse, our attempts to close, if we misjudge the customer’s interest level, will instead shut down the conversation.

During the sales interaction, we should follow a sequence: first establishing trust, then questioning and listening, then deciphering the customer’s interest level, before delivering value statements that differentiate our company from the competition and show how we can meet the customer’s specific needs.

Why Do Buyers Buy?

Why does the customer actually make any buying decisions? It’s not just because we say it’s a good idea, or because the product comes in a pretty box. Customers make the decision to buy because they have goals and problems affecting their business. They are concerned about those issues, and they need solutions. These concerns are what become buying forces when a good solution becomes apparent.

The key to creating value lies in partnering with our customers to help them achieve their goals, to help solve their organization’s problems – and, in turn, their customers’ problems. In other words, solutions reached jointly with the customer to satisfy their specific needs will enable us to develop a strong business relationship.

Some experienced sales representatives feel that they know immediately what the customer really needs, and how to solve their problem. These reps may mistakenly assume their customer understands that they are experts and agrees that the representative should make the choice. The salesperson then jumps to the solution without involving the customer in the decision process. This destroys trust as they move out of alignment with the buyer and start “pushing” a solution.

Remember that nobody likes to be “sold,” but everyone loves to buy. The representative’s true role is to help the customer understand their own situation and its implications, so that the customer can work out a solution to the problem themselves, with the representative’s assistance.

Three Interest Levels

The customer may be in any one of three different frames of mind, or interest levels. The representative must evaluate the customer’s level of interest carefully. Customer interest can be reflected in subtle ways, but it does have signals we can watch for.

The customer’s three levels of interest are:

• Numb: At this level, the customer has no real feelings about the situation one way or another. They are satisfied with the status quo and indifferent to any current needs. The Numb customer sees no compelling reason to act. In some cases, the customer is misreading the situation; in others, they may be happy with the status quo, or even in denial about their problems. The Numb customer may have an irrational sense of optimism, working to rationalize a way out of recognizing their current need.

• In Pain: The customer has recognized a need that is hurting his business. This pain is causing the customer anxiety. They are no longer satisfied with the status quo, because what they have now is not meeting their current needs. The customer is in the market for a solution, but if no solution is forthcoming, they will move back to a state of numbness, denying the urgency of the problem. While at this level the buyer can see and admit the problem to themselves, they might not share their need with the sales representative.

• Ready to Act: The customer openly admits to the sales representative that they have a problem or a need currently. The customer knows the solution, because they have worked through the diagnostic process with the representative. There is an emotional alignment between the sales maker and customer.

When the customer explicitly states out loud to the representative what they need, the chances of having a successful sale increase exponentially. However, customers usually do not make explicit need statements on their own.

This is why it is key to understand that moving through the interest levels is a process that leads the customer to this breakthrough point, where they recognize their own need and are able and willing to articulate it to the sales representative. Once they are able to do this, we have a foundation on which to build our value statements and FABs in a way that targets their specific, stated goals and gaps, and clearly lays out what’s in it for them.

Baker Communications offers leading edge sales training solutions for sales makers and sales managers that will help you address the goals and achieve the outcomes addressed in this article. For more information about how your organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that will uncover new opportunities, drive revenue, and boost your bottom line, click here.