What if we’re getting it all wrong?
What if we assume more motivation in the sales process than there actually is?
The attached model describes a four step sequence that people go through when they’re making a decision.
Initially, we resist a new idea, then we become ambivalent, then curious and finally motivated to adopt the idea.
The bottom two levels play out when we are trying to avoid something – the top two when we are trying to get something.
Now, I know what you’re thinking … I’ve replaced ambivalent with lazy!
That’s because in any sale, laziness is much more common than we think.
Buyers and sellers are often lazy in the process – by that I mean, they both try to take the path of least resistance.
The sales person wants to make the sale with the least amount of effort, time and pressure.
The buyer wants to solve their problem with the least amount of effort, time and discomfort.
If we assume that both parties are motivated to get to a solution, we run the risk of completely misreading the sale.
Don’t assume the customer is motivated to buy.
Instead, find a fast pathway to curiosity.
For us, that pathway is the use of powerful visual models that reduce resistance and make true value obvious.
What’s your pathway of least resistance?
