3 Ways We Make Buyers Feel Stupid :(
No one likes to feel stupid.
Think about it. When’s the last time you woke up and said, “Boy, I sure I hope I make a fool out of myself in front of everyone today?”
It’s the reason I don’t play Trivial Pursuit – it reminds me (quite painfully) just how little I know and makes me feel like a big fat idiot. (Then I make myself feel better by recognizing that even the title of the game says that all the questions are “trivial”. I smile at my cleverness and move on triumphantly.)
If people don’t like feeling stupid in regular, everyday life, then they really don’t like to feel stupid when they are a buyer.
Why?
- Because buying should to be fun and seldom is feeling stupid fun. And…
- It makes buyers feel out of control and fearful that someone will take advantage of them.
Here are the top three ways salespeople make their buyers feel stupid along with some ways to create more customer confidence.
1. Using Industry Jargon
Industry jargon leaves the buyer feeling confused and ignorant. (Hint: Neither one of these are good feelings for your buyer.)
How can you scrub your presentation of industry jargon? Here’s an idea: Run your presentation by a non-industry friend. Ask them to point out words or phrases they don’t understand. Then look for different language you can use instead.
2. Asking Difficult Questions
Many questions salespeople ask buyers are much more difficult to answer than they think.
Asking a buyer “When do you want to buy?” or “What price did you want to spend?” are tricky questions for many buyers.
Why are they difficult? Because sometimes the buyer doesn’t have firm answers to these questions. So they make something up to avoid looking stupid.
Suggestion: Use a more buyer-centric approach with your questions.
Try focusing on asking questions that will help the buyer clarify some of their issues. “So tell me, why are you wanting to purchase (Product A)?” or “Are there any features you’re particularly interested in?”
These questions are much less threatening, which makes the buyer more comfortable continuing the process with you.
3. Making The Buyer Ask You How To Buy Your Product
The process of purchasing is not always clear to the buyer. This is especially true if you are selling a high-end product or a service.
A great solution to this dilemma is to use the “Explain The Process Close” at the end of your presentation.
It works like this: You start with something like “Well, if you did decide to purchase today, let me explain how the process would work. First we would do X. Then Y. Next Z happens.”
The goal here is to give the buyer enough data so they feel like they’re making an informed decision. But not too much data that they become overwhelmed.
Then you can add, “Would you like to get started with that today?”
I’m convinced that 98% of salespeople do not set out to make their buyers feel stupid. It is inadvertent and unintentional. But your intentions are never what matters when you are in sales.
It’s the perception of your intention by the buyer that counts.
