You CAN Sell to Uncertain Customers

You Can Sell to Uncertain Customers Are you finding that your prospects are uneasy or uncertain about the economy? Do they have a "wait and see" attitude now more than ever? Is it harder for you to "get them off the fence of indecision"? n nTake a brief look at the news in recent months...Wall Street, Hurricane Ike, Presidential Race, Government AIG Bailout, Housing and Mortgage flops....n nThese...and other....news reports can affect the mindset of your prospective consumer. They should NOT affect your mindset.n nHowever, you can instill certainty into the mind of your prospect with just a few key confidence building strategies. Take a gander at these:n nConfidence Builder #1: Build physical and verbal rapport with your customer. It still remains true that the number one reason people buy from you is the trusting relationship you have created with them. How often do you buy stuff from a jerk? Probably not at all. Neither does your customer. They want a refuge in the time of uncertainty. It doesn't matter if you are selling snow cones or multi-million dollar homes. The fundamental principle is the same. Get people to like and trust you and you have a much better chance. When you do this, your customer will also see you as a very authentic individual….and authenticity breeds sales.n nConfidence Builder #2: Give people a HUGE reason to ask more questions about your product. Rather than diving in and TELLING your customer everything about your product at the outset, what would happen if you lead them down a gentle trail of reasoning that would encourage THEM to ask you questions? All too often business people want to push their way into the sale. Its okay to be assertive, but put a little spice on it folks. It is a very ancient axiom, but people buy your product based on what they feel is in it for them. Give them a red carpet to ask all the questions they need to determine how your service will benefit them personally. n nConfidence Builder #3: Create expertise in advance. When your prospect perceives you as an expert, they will have an elevated level of confidence. You can become an expert in your business in many ways...write articles, publish a book or mini-book, have a radio show, be interviewed on radio or TV, win awards, work in a position of leadership for your professional trade association, teach a course at the local university, operate a community blog on the main topic of your product, etc. By becoming an expert, your customer looks to you for validation rather than the negative media.n nConfidence Builder #4: Have an "attitude". It sometimes works to have a nearly irreverent demeanor about the way the media portrays events. If you have some facts, figures, testimonials, or other information that is contrary to what the media reports, that could play into your favor. Lets face it...the media is in business to do one thing....sell ad space on their network. If you don't believe me, try starting your own network and then try to pay for it. Controversy fosters viewership and that means advertising dollars. By having your own facts and figures in place from your own research, you could head off a lost sale.n nConfidence Builder #5: Elevate your professionalism. Highly professional companies attract highly professional...and confident...customers. You won't see very many skeptical, worried customers at Nordstrom’s, Four Seasons, Mercedes, or Spago Beverly Hills. Assess everything about your business and your sales to discern if you are being the most professional you can be....and then do the Emeril to it....."take it up another notch." It may be something as simple as your logo, stationary, job signs, company vehicles, or even the way your sales staff dresses when they visit a prospective customer. n nConfidence Builder #6: Know your premiere buyer and know what they "fear". Fear is nothing more than a perception of bad events that is blown up in your mind. Understand the perceptions of your customer and work to overcome it, manage it and remove it. Then replace it with the huge benefits of your product for your customer. By the way, what benefits one customer doesn't always work for another. When you know who buys your product and more importantly what perceptions they had to deal with in order to buy from you, then you have a superb opportunity to sell. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask your customers, “Why did you buy from me?” or “What perceptions from the media did you have to face before you made this purchase?” Know the inner workings of your customer’s thinking and you will build more confidence in them and with yourself.n nConfidence Builder #7: YOU fill your head with positive information and avoid the negativity of the media. Watch the news and pay attention to world activities enough to know how it affects people and what they perceive about the news. Then turn the TV to a sit-com or the history channel or something else...assuming that you watch TV in the first place. By filling your mind with positive reading and listening material, you can't help but stay upbeat and that bleeds over into the psyche of your customer. Be the positive energy that your customer is looking for. You really can't take a day off from this. Your customer is counting on you to be the certainty in their life. Just Do It. The bottom line is that uncertainty from your customers can be overcome by you with just a little preparation and determination. Until our paths cross again, take great care of yourself and your loved ones.n