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SalesVantage.com >> Article Archives >> Selling Tactics >> Why Do They Buy From Them, Anyway?

Selling Tactics
   
Why Do They Buy From Them, Anyway?
By Jim Kasper, President & CEO, Interactive Resource Group

It's a fact that many of our current customers buy from the competition in addition to buying from us. It's annoying to know we're not getting all of a customer's business
It's a fact that many of our current customers buy from the competition in addition to buying from us. It's annoying to know we're not getting all of a customer's business when they buy plenty of x and y but never t and v, although you know they're buying it elsewhere. You begin to feel like the kid in the pickup baseball game who never gets chosen for the team - you might be brought in as a reliever but never get to stay in for the whole game.

The "whys" of our customer's purchasing patterns and behavior are as varied as the number of customers we have. But it's important that, as consultative, professional salespeople, we find out "why" from our customers. Without asking "why," we will never know that the customer might have been misinformed about us or just was "automatically" following a buying pattern that was established long ago and not questioned.

The questions below, when posed to your customers, will help you reveal their motivations. A major portion of the questions contains a "customer preference mini-survey" that takes very little time to complete and will reveal a great deal about your customers' buying attitudes and preferences.

These questions are effective ones to add to your "sales toolbox" and have been used successfully in numerous sales environments:
  • What does the ideal supplier relationship look like?
  • How do you measure success with your suppliers?
  • When selecting a supplier, what measurements do you use?
  • When you started buying from your current supplier, what criteria did you use to make your selection? Based on your experience since then, how would that change?
  • Going into the future, say a year from now, what do you think will be most important then—the "low" price of a product or service you've purchased, or will it be having a relationship with a supplier with a long-term presence?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10 [1=low,10=high], please rate the following as to your preference in choosing a supplier:

    Preference Category Rating 1<10
    Service 
    Quality 
    Availability 
    Location 
    Price 

Survey Follow Up Questions:
  • If quality is a priority, ask: "You identified quality as important. Would you tell me what is your definition of 'quality?'"
  • Next ask, "Tell me about a time when your expectation for quality was not met. What was the outcome?"
  • "You said price, quality, and service were three important criteria. In addition to those, what other preferences are important to you?"
  • "Say you're evaluating potential suppliers who all satisfy your criteria. How do you make your selection?"
  • "You said the most important thing for you is price. How does that compare to what your customer thinks is most important?"
After posing the questions, point out how your solutions will help them achieve their objectives. By defining specific needs and addressing them with our solutions, it'll set you apart as the obvious choice from the others. Once you know your customers' needs, you'll be able to present your solutions as a great value at any price.

And, don't forget - there are some customers whose buying patterns are so deeply entrenched, you won't be able to shake them loose and bring them around. Don't spend too much time on those and save your energy for the ones you can influence!
Jim Kasper is the Founder and President of Interactive Resource Group. Mr. Kasper has over 26 years of practical experience in direct sales, sales management, sales training, and marketing. Contact him at www.salestrainers.com or call 800-891-7355

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