There are 3 objections that must be overcome to get somebody to buy:
1. why buy anything
2. why buy from me
3. why buy now
Why buy anything?
The first objection is showing that not taking action is not a viable option. The problem must be made explicit and brought to the full attention of the man with the money.
Why buy from me?
So, pain is clear. I want a cure. Now, I need to know that you truly understand my situation and that your motives as a salesman are about helping me, not helping yourself to the commission.
Why buy now?
My MacBook Pro has been dying for the last 2 years. It has been getting slower and slower and ssssllllllooooowwwwweeeeerrrrr… In fact I need to watch someone else use my laptop to realize how truly clunky the machine has become. In all this time I have had many moments where I knew I needed to take action… But I didn’t. Until now. My battery has less than 10 minutes of autonomy. I bought a new MacBook Pro this week.
Why did I wait so long? It is normal. We don’t act until we have to. We will not buy until we have to. As a salesman I have seen this so many times. My potential client has a problem. We have a decent relationship. We have a proposal on the table. It looks good. But no signature. “After the summer”, “when everybody gets back”, “we have an urgent priority at the moment”…
It is only when the battery dies that I replace my slowly dying computer.
Painful problem + trust + urgency
