Thanks to all the information available to buyers today, they are more informed than ever before. In most sales conversations, it is the buyer who wields the majority of power. Pushy sales tactics don’t work like they once did because of this.
Today, sales reps must shift from selling to helping in order to be successful in sales. In order to effectively approach this process, it is important for you to deepen your knowledge of who the buyer is and what their path to buying is: The buyer’s journey.
What exactly is the buyer’s journey?
An individual’s path to purchase is described by the buyer’s journey. Thus, buyers don’t buy at random. They don’t decide on a whim to buy. In order to decide to purchase a new product or service, they undergo a process of becoming aware of, considering, and evaluating it.
In order to empathize with the buyer and position their product or service along that path, sales reps must understand the buyer’s journey, the pains and problems they experience, as well as the factors that shape their thinking. Let’s find out more.
How does the buyer’s journey proceed?
As a buyer progresses along their path to purchase, we can divide their journey into three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.
Here is how each stage is conceptualized:
- Awareness Stage: The buyer realizes that there is a problem.
- Consideration Stage: During this stage, the buyer defines the problem and explores solutions.
- Decision Stage: The buyer evaluates and selects the appropriate solution provider.
Let’s examine the stages of the buyer’s journey in more detail now that the overall journey has been defined:
During the awareness stage, how does the buyer behave?
There is a problem or symptom that the buyer wishes to alleviate, and that is the purpose of their purchase. Informational resources may be sought for a better understanding, framing, and description of their problem.
In the consideration stage, how does the buyer behave?
In addition to clearly defining and naming their problem, the buyer is willing to research and fully understand all the services and methods available to solve their defined problem or opportunity.
During the decision stage, what does the buyer do?
Solution strategy, approach, or method has been decided by the buyer. A list of available vendors will now be compiled, a shortlist will be made, and a final decision will be made.
The buyer’s journey can be difficult to map out if you do not have a deep understanding of your buyers. During this time, you should conduct several interviews with customers to learn more about the buyer’s journey.
Understanding the buyer’s journey and tailoring your sales process
Due to all these considerations, buyers do not intend to be presented with, demoed, or closed by sales agents who are not ready. Their perspective is that these steps do not add any value if delivered at the wrong time.
Nevertheless, a sales representative shines when the buyer needs more information about the product than is available online.
Stage One: Awareness
A buyer’s objective is to identify the opportunity or challenge they want to take advantage of. In addition, they decide whether the challenge or goal should be a high priority.
The questions we need to ask:
- What are the goals and challenges buyers describe when it comes to our business?
- Where are our buyers getting information about these challenges or goals?
- Inaction by the buyer has what consequences?
- Is there a common misconception about the challenge or goal buyers have?
- What factors do buyers consider when determining the priority of a goal or challenge?
We need to take these actions:
- Sales collateral that is informative, not salesy, and educates the consumer along their buying path.
- Helping them define the problem by providing resources.
- It’s all about helping.
Stage Two: Consideration
In the case of buyers, the goal or challenge has been clearly defined together with a commitment to address it. In order to achieve their goals or solve their problem, they are now evaluating different approaches or methods.
The questions we need to ask:
- How do buyers search for solutions?
- What is the best way for buyers to become knowledgeable about different categories of solutions?
- What are the pros and cons buyers perceive about each category?
- What factors determine a buyer’s choice of category?
We need to take these actions:
- Being able to present a clear picture of how our products and services solve their problems in comparison with our competitors directly and indirectly.
- We should consider how our competitors directly and indirectly show up in the market and how their presence influences perceptions.
- Giving buyers resources to assist them in finding the right solution.
Stage Three: Decision
A solution category has already been selected, and now buyers are evaluating suppliers. In order to choose the one most suitable for their needs, they may have written a list of pros and cons of specific offerings.
The questions we need to ask:
- What factors do buyers consider when evaluating available options?
- Among the alternatives, what do buyers like about our offering? Are there any concerns?
- Should the decision be made by anyone? What are the perspectives of each person involved?
- Are buyers expecting to be able to try the product before purchasing it?
- Does a buyer need to prepare additional preparations other than purchasing, such as training strategies or implementation plans?
We need to take these actions:
- Prior to the sales process, understand what objections they may have so you can deal with them appropriately.
- A unique selling proposition gives buyers value and makes you stand out from the competition.
Closing Thoughts
In some cases, these considerations are more related to your marketing efforts than to your sales efforts, but in the end the answers you provide will establish a firm foundation to build your buyer journey upon.
As you establish or refine your sales process with funnels, it is invaluable to understand how your buyers purchase. With more empathy and knowledge of prospect objections, you’ll be able to respond appropriately to them, which will allow you to close more deals and increase your sales.
