Today's day and age is far more advanced and informed than ever before. This is thanks to the vast amount of information available on the internet. Because of this, the balance of power has indefinitely shifted from the sales rep to the buyer in most sales scenarios. This is why guerilla sales tactics are no longer as effective as they used to be.
Instead, to be successful in sales today sales reps must adapt their mindset from sales to helping. The best way to start this process is by becoming intimately familiar with who the buyer is and what is the journey they are taking on their way to making a choice.
What is the buyer's journey?
This describes the buyer's path taken to complete a purchase. In other words, buyers go through a process to become aware of, consider, evaluate, and decision before making a purchase of any product or service.
By understanding the buyer's journey, the pains and the problems they experience along that journey, and the influencing factors that mold their thinking, sales professionals can better empathize with the buyer and position their offers along that path.
To help this process here's the basics of how a buyer's journey can be broken down for you to be able to better grasp what is going on. Here are the 3 stages that describe roughly how advance a buyer is along their path to making any purchase.
Here's how to conceptualize each stage:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Decision
What's going on during the awareness stage?
The buyer is experiencing several things at the same time. There may be a problem or symptoms of pain and their goal is to alleviate it. At this stage, they may be looking for informational resources to more clearly understand, frame, and give a name to their problem.
What is the buyer doing during the consideration stage?
Having clearly defined and given a name to their problem and they are committed to researching and understanding all of the available approaches to solving the defined problem or opportunity.
What is the buyer doing during the decision stage?
The buyer has already decided on their solution. This could include a strategy, method, or approach. Now they will compile a list of available vendors and make a shortlist.
Conclusion: Tailor your sales process to the Buyer's Journey
Always remember, buyers, don't want to be prospected, or demoed, or closed when they're not ready. These steps add zero value, from their perspective when offered at the wrong time. This is where you can shine as a sales professional in Malaysia as you are well informed of the instances when buyers are looking for additional information about your product.
No comments:
Post a Comment