June 18, 2024- In a previous column I wrote that successful reps are adept at following their clients to get a decision. So, to help you improve your ability to get decisions, let us focus on helping you better understand your decision-maker. When your customer goes into decision-making mode, two considerations are influencing them:
1. What do I know? This is the logical side of our brain calling up all the data and facts that we have that pertain to the decision at hand.
2. How do I feel about what I know? This is the emotional side of the decision-making equation.
Each of these considerations will influence the decision-making process depending on the importance of the decision. A simple decision, like reordering a supply, will be dominated by the logical side of our brain, i.e., “How many do I have on hand?” “How many do I use in a month?”
However, a more complex decision, like switching suppliers, will be dominated by the emotional component of decision making, i.e., “Am I sure this change is necessary?” “Am I comfortable with this manufacturer?” “What are my risks?”
So, if you are proposing a new product or service, your customer’s logical side may be thinking about their current situation and what the potential impact could be on their practice. At the same time, their emotional side could be apprehensive of all the extra work involved and the failure of previous attempts.
This conflict might produce inaction, and your customer avoids deciding today. Or you could use your influencing skills to help your customer reach the biggest decision they can manage at that moment.
This dynamic is constantly in play and creating decision-making attitudes inside of the customer. That is the sad news – you cannot see an attitude. The good news is that those attitudes translate into actions, and that is something you can see in your customer’s body language, hear in your customer’s voice, and correlate to their words.
Read More in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.