Inside The Mind of The Client
Written by Dave Lorenzo on August 19, 2016 / Communication
What are your clients thinking before they make a decision to buy what you are selling?
If you knew the answer to that question you would be able to influence the decision of everyone who inquired about your services.
People make important decisions in predictable ways. This information is critical to your success in sales.
There are three conditions that must exist (within the client’s mind) for him to pick up the phone and call you:
- The client must know you.
- The client must have the desire and motivation to handle his situation now.
- The client must trust you.
Let’s look at each of these conditions and how they apply to you.
The client must know you.
Perception is reality. If you write articles on a topic, people will find you when they are doing research. If you speak to groups of people on a topic, people who are interested in that subject will be in the audience. If you appear in the media, some people will see you. If you establish relationships with influential people in the community, they will introduce you to potential clients.
You must be visible.
If the client doesn’t know you, he cannot hire you.
You can sell to one person at a time (networking, face-to-face sales, develop a referral network) or to many people at once (advertising).
There is no other way to become known in the community.
The client must have the desire and motivation to handle this situation now.
Most people have no sense of urgency. It is human nature to ignore a problem or wait until the last minute to handle an issue. People procrastinate.
Your job is to convince them ignoring their issue will make it worse. Regardless of what the issue is.
People move fast to relieve or avoid pain. Help them feel the pain of procrastination and they will act.
The client must trust you
When it comes to important decisions, people want to work with an expert. People look for evidence to justify the hiring of an expert.
This evidence can be: information on a website, an anecdote told by a happy client, a story in a newspaper, the list goes on and on.
The key is to establish your credibility in the mind of the client.
Notice there is no discussion of money in these three conditions. You may be wondering why.
People only use money as a determining factor when they have nothing else on which to base their decision.
If a prospective client has a problem you can solve, has the desire and motivation to solve it and he believes you have the best solution; he will hire you regardless of your fee.
Here are three additional resources you can use to grow sales:
You must view selling as helping people in exchange for financial compensation. That’s the mindset of a sales superstar.
You already know this but you need to hear it over and over again. I’m being persistent in trying you to become persistent.
This article shows how you create urgency among your clients.