Do you ever make a purchase and reflect on why you decided to make it? For small buying decisions, I rarely dissect my thoughts, but in sales, it might be a good idea to get your prospect thinking. Let me explain.
The other day I bought a car for my daughter, and thought about what made me pull the trigger. After a few weekends of research and car dealership visits, I ended up buying a used Toyota SUV. Let’s look at the basics. Why did I purchase it?
It was in my price range; a few dollars more, but within the rangeIt had all the features I wantedIt was in good mechanical shape. A dealer checked it outI needed it now — The other option was to have my daughter drive my car, but after my son put a major dent in it a few years ago, that was not going to happenI had spent enough time looking and was ready to make a decision.
All the elements for making a decision were clear. Time, risk, ROI, brand, and leverage were all factored in to make the stars align. What made this dealership so special, while the others only garnered a fleeting glance on my behalf?
I’ll tell you what it was NOT:
“Mr. Miller, this car will last your daughter at least 5+ years.”
That was true of every car, so why did the dealer use this? I’m assuming because it sounded good. What a waste of good sales effort.
The following questioning, however, caught my ear:
“So Mr. Miller, when did you plan on giving it to her? Where will your first drive be? Will you put a big red bow on it when you give it to her?”
Man, I had to think about this, and the more I thought about it, the more transfer of ownership I had, meaning, I was beginning to understand what the solution could look like:
“I’ll get the bow on the way home at the Party Store. I’m sure they have one, and it’s on the way. Our first drive, heck, we were all planning to go out to dinner tonight, so she can drive us in her new SUV. Since today is Friday, this is a great day to give it to her, since I don’t want to waste another weekend looking at cars.”
In my previous weekends spent shopping, I had validated the long-term buy in for the car. But, I was lacking motivation to really get started because I didn’t have a clear idea what I would do first, second, or third. I needed some baby steps once I made the purchase.
For me, using a Short Term Transfer strategy helped me make a decision on the spot, that day, to make the purchase.
What are your prospects doing in the short term after their decision? The first 30-60 days after the prospect makes a decision? Usually, they have no idea how they are going to get started. Oh, you have told them what you are going to do to be successful, but they have no clue what to do first. Have a meeting?
Use the Short Term Transfer tool – it works:
What is the prospect committing to do first, second, and even third if possible, in the first 5/30/60 days, to make sure they get this investment off to a good start?If they are unable to tell you, give them some hints, best practices, suggestionsMake sure it’s their idea. They have to put some sweat equity into the process, or it’s not a real transfer of ownership. Remember – no urgency, no deal