More has been learnt about the human brain and how it functions, probably in the last 10 years than in the whole of human history.
A common problem is that businesses will have a sales process which almost seems to exist in isolation of what the customer is doing.
In this lesson, Simon Hazeldine MSc., - an international consultant in the areas of sales, negotiation and leadership - explains how sales people need to understand the buying process the customer goes through and how can you match your selling process to the way your customer's brain likes to buy.
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Grant Leboff: If we know much more about the human brain today, how as sales people, can we ensure that we match the way the brain might buy the way that we sell.
Simon Hazeldine: I think that a fundamental level, even if you take neuroscience out of the equation for a moment, a common problem that I see a lot with our clients is that they'll have a sales process which almost seems to exist in isolation of what the customer is doing, and we're thinking of selling to the customer. Whereas I think the shift should be; understanding the customers buying process, understand the process the customer goes through, so that you can provide the customer with what's most useful and most needed as they move through their buying process not through your sales process. In B2B sales now for example, the latest research has shown the customers are about 57 - 60 percent of the way through their buying process before they even want to interact with someone from sales. So the world has changed, but from a brain friendly selling point of view, you need to understand where the customer is at each stage so you can provide them with what they need, so you're not appearing, for example, pushy at any stage of the process. You're aware of what they need. You're giving it to them you're ahead of where they are, so that you can be proactively managing what you're doing with them, to ease them through their buying process and help them to make a really good decision, which we hope is going to be to make use of your products and services.
Grant Leboff: So what are the keys? As a sales person you're meeting a customer, perhaps for the first time or prospect. What are the keys with what we know about the way the brain works today? Where is the starting point for a sales person?
Simon Hazeldine: A primary driver in the more primitive parts of the brain is to move away from danger - primarily first from a survival point of view - and then move towards pleasure. And those two motivating forces; stay away from pain and move towards a reward are fundamental motivational drivers as of all human behaviour. So a really powerful way to start an early conversation is; what problems and challenges does the customer have that they want to move away from? What's the impact on their business or themselves as an individual, if you are business to consumer and how can you help them move from this place of discomfort or dissatisfaction to a place of satisfaction comfort happiness etc., by solving that problem. So I would really encourage all sales people to dig deep into customers' problems. What problems have they got? What's the impact of those problems? If they don't sort that problem out what's going to happen in the longer term? Get that away from motivation built up, and then talk to them about what a good solution might look like. What are the results they'd like to get. What are they what the impact of those results. And then you've got those two powerful forces powering, motivating the customer to make that buying decision.
Grant Leboff: At what point is it the sales person's job to uncover those problems and what extent does this person have to make a customer or prospect aware of those problems?
Simon Hazeldine: Yeah, that's a great question, because sometimes a customer will understand they have a problem - it's what I call a negative problem. There's your standard of performance, here's what you've got now, for example, you or your car doesn't start in the morning - I know I've got a problem I need a new car! But there's also what I call a positive problem. This is where you maybe, show the customer some better solution they weren't aware of, and then that creates that tension that they want to do it. But I would say very, very, early on, because you got to - almost, if you can - trigger the buying process. The ideal thing is to be right at the start of a customer's buying process and actually be the initiator of that buying process. That gives you the maximum influence and control over what happens.