Learn from your Own Buying Process
A couple of weeks ago, I picked up some Kirkland Signature golf balls. They reminded me of an important sales concept that a lot of people miss. If you’re a golf nut like me, you’ve undoubtedly heard the buzz about these tour-quality balls at an Average Joe price. Having found a couple of these on the course in the past (turns out I’m not the only one who occasionally hits them into the woods), and having had a positive experience with them, they piqued my interest.
Costco has a reputation with their house brand to deliver quality on par (pun fully intended) with that of national brands. They’ve consistently stand behind their products too, and with the cult-like stories I’d heard, this purchase was a no-brainer.
I got some mixed responses from my friends, not the least of which was, “I can’t hit anything that says Kirkland Signature on it.”
That reminded me of a story from a few years ago...
I was meeting with my manager and a customer for lunch at a familiar diner. My colleague was pre-ordering for us and asked me what I wanted. I replied with, “The usual. If it ain’t broke...”
The next text I got back said, “What if your customers all thought that way.”
Hmmm...
These stories strike me as poignant for a couple of reasons. We expect our customers to be open to trying the new things that we put in front of them. In fact, our careers mostly depend on this openness. Salespeople get especially frustrated when prospects won’t give them even the slightest bit of attention or a meeting.
Those are the same salespeople who walk right past the new options in the pro shop and buy the same golf balls they’ve always played and order the usual for lunch.
Do you ever consider your own buying decisions and processes? How do they relate to your prospects’ decision-making processes? What do you need to overcome that you may not realize you aren’t even addressing?
Is there a dogma around their current provider and why they feel they have to work with them? Is there superstition around their prior experience that causes them to be blind to the possibility of change? Is the same thing they’ve been buying for years simply good enough? Is ‘good enough’ the concept that keeps them from looking for ‘better’?
Now, I see myself as a bit of a contrarian. I’m willing to go against the grain a little bit and try some new things just for the story (hence the new golf balls). I don’t see a ton of actual risk in minor changes. Does your prospect think like that? If so, they need to be approached much differently than someone who prefers the safety of the status quo.
They say nobody ever got fired for buying IBM. I heard Seth Godin point out that in many B2B selling situations, the primary motivator behind a purchaser’s decision is not how it will impact the company, but how it will impact his/her superior’s impression of them. How will they be judged for making that decision? Is your presentation or your website or glossy brochure covering those talking points?
“What if your customers thought that way?”
Is your prospect looking to make a mark, tell a story, or simply keep their job? I promise the decision is being made based on more than your features, benefits, and outcomes. The stories people tell themselves are the most powerful, and you need to consider those stories in your positioning.
After some further research, it turns out that these golf balls are not the same as the ones creating hysteria and leading to patent lawsuits. They may not end up being what I thought they were, and I may end up giving some of them away. I can still say that the purchase itself has made me think a lot about why and how people purchase anything, and that’s always money well spent.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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