Are you missing the ball with buying signals???

Great subject. let me get lunch first.

I am with xxx but i'm not to happy with them.
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why are you better then xxx
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can you do that in ( any color shape or size )
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can you still get me an 800 #
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who controls my account
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how does transferring work


I could go on for HOURS.

Some of the best buying signals ... aren't even said ...
You feel them when there voice changes.


The best buying signal of all time.

Can you work with me on the price a little?

I am always amazed at how often the newbies miss that.

-- asking you to repeat parts of the presentation (warranty, payments)
-- asking for references

Let's see if I can name some of the ones that even some veterans miss.

1. They tell you about the "other one" ie the other company or product they are considering.

This tells you they are serious on buying and the "other one" missed an opportunity to sell them on it. Once you hear this unless you simply can't meet their needs they are buying.

2. "I am not buying today."

9/10 They are buying today. In fact they are so ready to buy they are trying to convince themselves that they will not do it. One of my favorites. I get so excited when I hear it.

3. I am shopping (getting quotes/going to dealers/etc) today (this week/etc)

They are buying and will likely buy today. The only question is are they buying from you or your competitor.

4. _____ told me to ask for you (call you, etc)

Referrals in general are buyers. Seriously do you think they just sit around with their friends and talk about your product or service? No they need it and _____ trusts you. All that trust was instantly transferred. Depending on how long a sale takes in your industry they will be buying with a few mins or hours.

5. They bring up price (since you know better than to do that, right?)

Once they bring up price (during or after a presentation) they are buying. Just don't switch into price mode too soon as you must build the value still. Some will ask for price first which is a buying signal but getting into price too much that soon will lose it. Know the signal but know when it is too soon to close.

On the opposite how about some signals that sales professionals think are buying signals but really are not.

1. I am buying today.

This is a negotiation tactic. This guy is either not buying or will attempt to bend you over for the lowest price. The only way this guy is buying is if he feels he beat you up. I've seen too many Sales Professionals fall all over these guys. I hear this and I prepare for the battle ahead. My mission is to make the battle as short as possible. Either he buys or he walks. I personally will not feed his ego by falling on my sword. Sometimes being willing to walk away will close these guys as they feel they won if they break you down to that point.

2. They talk about the future business they will send you.

If they talk about how they will send you referrals or how they will be buying _____ in the future just remember what it is.... a negotiation tactic. Like the "buying today" guys (often they do both) these guys just want to "win". They think that by doing this you will lower your price now since they are worth more in the future. Trust me they are not.

3. I'm related to _____

Owners, Previous customers, senators, and etc. I have heard it all. They think that by doing this that they will get a better deal. Remember the difference between this and a real referral. It's subtle but something that every veteran needs to learn to do. I've actually had previous customers apologize later for these guys. "I hope _____ wasn't too much trouble. He asked me who I bought from and I gave him your name."

4. I'm just waiting for my settlement/house to sell/whatever.

9/10 This just means they are not ready to buy. Those are just the excuses they give to themselves on why they can't buy what they want (ie what you sell). This is not a buying signal but many n00bs get excited and mentally start cashing the commission in their head. It may come down the line but they normally won't even remember you when they come in next year and the following year...... etc etc.

5. I am looking for a,b,c,d,e,f,...z (aka the Unicorn)

What they want doesn't exist and they have been told that by salesman before you. Probe to see which are "must haves" but once that list gets too long realize you have a unicorn hunter on your hands.

6. True Buying Signals from the Non-decision maker.

Learning who the decision maker really is can be one of the most challenging skills for a sales professional. The decision maker is not always who has the money (n00b mistake). It is not even always who will use it (see this a lot). I've been in situations where the decision maker was literally the 7 year old middle child in a family of five. This is why in group settings it is so important to get everyone in the group to give buying signals. I don't care if the husband makes 7 figures and the wife doesn't talk. If she is the power behind the purse you will never sell until she is ready to buy.

I have seen way too many times where a sales professional gets buying signals from one person in the group who he assumes is the decision maker and can't figure out why he couldn't close them. I've seen guys who you can literally point out the dynamics and they still won't understand.

And I've seen people here so often talk about getting to the owner. I don't care if I ever talk to the owner. If the decision maker is the receptionist who makes $10/hr that is who I need to sell. It's why I am so vocal on actually asking gatekeepers the right questions to find who you need to talk to. Never make assumptions on who the decision maker is. Sometimes it is the 7 year old middle child in the family.

Here are some other types of buying signals (not directly on the sales call):

--tweets about your solution (I am considering aaa, bbb, ccc, etc)
--asks about others experience on facebook and other social media
--signs up for a free trial
--repeatedly visits the pricing page (from analytics)
--asks about your product in related online forums

The child as decision maker is one of the weirdest situations to be in.

I read the situation early on that it was the case, feared being wrong, but trusted my gut. Once I sold the child on it the process was simple. By the end I was literally just letting the rest of the family join us and walk around. I just focused on that child.

Looking back I have to admit to many it would have seem silly and even risky but I just knew that was the decision maker. The parents were just the rubber stamp.

I have to admit after that day my internal trust in myself jumped ten fold. I never question my gut much anymore after that.

To someone just starting in sales it is hard to explain how you "just know". Some people will go whole sales careers without training themselves to "just know". And I've seen others who "trust" their guts too soon in their careers and use their gut as an excuse to pre-qualify people. "He's not a buyer look how he is dressed" and etc.

I wish I knew better how to explain that true "just know" feeling vs. that prequalify that so many think is it. They are worlds apart but feel so similar to the untrained.

That difference is why I will take an untrained n00b with the right attitude and basic skills over an average veteran. It is easier to take the n00b through the training steps vs. retraining someone who has learned to justify average.

Now on the other hand give me a vet who has been a lazy under achiever in the past and I have no problem with showing him how and why with the right training and pay structure selling for me will be the easiest and best paying job he ever had. But the key is to get the guy who knows he can do better but chooses not to because it hasn't been worth the effort. The normal average vet doesn't know that he is average by choice. He is unconsciously successful and thus average and likely to always been average. The lazy underachiever is choosing to be average (or above average but not to potential) and people who are truly conscious of their success are powerful and rare. They are diamonds waiting to be mined and cut by managers and companies that know how to make the rewards go up and the "work" go down the more they sell.

"Where do we go from here?"
"What if it (breaks, stops working, etc)?" - They want to buy, but want to be safe
"When can it be done by?"

These are the most common ones I run into

Hmmmm. Best buying signal: "Who do I make the check out to?"
(I just had to give Claude a run for his money.)

There's a difference though between signals that show buying interest and signals which indicate they've taken mental ownership of the service/product.

It's when they've taken mental ownership that they're "sold" and you can wrap it up:

They speak as if they already acquired the product/service.

They act more relaxed, smiling, laughing, joking. If it's a couple, they look at each other and smile.

They stop asking you questions about the $%%##@ price.

I had a mother-in-law who said the same thing about me.