Talking to Your Customer About Process – Part 3
Author’s note: This is part three of a series on how to talk to your customers. Click here for parts one and two.
Fair warning: A confused mind says…NO!
That is a bit of truth that will help you convert more sales…or drive your customer away. Great sales performers find a way to constantly simplify things for their customers. If they don’t, confusion sets in. And a confused mind says no.
Imagine putting together an IKEA product with no instructions. Imagine planning a wedding without using a to-do list. Imagine setting up your own living trust using nothing but government forms (ugh!).
This is precisely what it feels like for a customer who wants to buy something but has no idea how the purchase process works. I can only wonder how many prospects have not purchased simply because the process itself scared them off.
If you want to lessen your prospect’s brain strain during the buying process, you can do so by providing a mental road map that shows them just how easy it to complete the purchase. You must give your customer a clear vision in order to clear the path to the sale.
“It is a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.” Steve Maraboll
Follow these simple guidelines:
1. Easy = Right
The more your customer perceives complexity in the process the more confused your customer will become. You need to explain the purchase process in a way that sounds simple and exciting.
Take a “this is no big deal at all” kind of approach as you script out your overview. Your calm confidence will go a long, long way towards easing your customer’s concerns.
2. Chunk It Up
If you can explain the entire process in just three steps (a technique called “chunking”) you will provide a tremendous sense of mental ease for your prospect.
Think about explaining the purchase process by starting with this phrase: “Should you decide to purchase today there are really just three steps in the process.”
Of course, the process might be far more complex, but the three high level points will provide a framework for everything else.
3. One Step at a Time
If you’ve given a general framework, proceed to focus in on just the current task. When your customer begins to think three steps ahead they get confused and overwhelmed.
Remind your customer that the process is normal, and that the reward at the end will make it all worth it.
- Now time to get to work.
- Simplify your presentation
- Explain it in three steps
- Keep your customer focused
If you make the process clear in your customer’s mind, you can free up mental space to do what they really want to do: DREAM!
I’ll address this in my next article. Stay tuned!
