It seems like delays in purchasing decisions have become more common over the last several years. According to multiple sources, including Sales Engine and Gartner, delays in sales decisions have increased significantly in the last several weeks, increasing the average B2B sales process by many weeks in most sectors.
Many dynamics have led to this shift: a need for consensus among many departments, a feeling that perfection is necessary, and salespeople becoming very good at revealing potential pain from the customers. These dynamics feed on each other to create an environment of “This is scary. Let’s pause and make sure we have our ducks in a row.”
So, how do you keep customers from dragging their feet? Here are six ideas:
1. Understand who the influencers are and potential delays.
Many delays are sparked by someone who hasn’t been very involved in the process and decided to throw a wrench in the system at the last minute. Know everyone from the beginning and get in front of them – the decision-making committee members, the people who influence them, their bosses, etc. Understand their objectives and emotional buying motives early to ensure they are on board later. Ask them about potential delays, which will also reveal potential objections.
2. Personalize everything.
Today’s customers want everything to be tailored to their type of business and personalized to them. During the selling process, personalize everything from your discovery questions to your proposed solution.
3. Keep the solution simple.
When a customer doesn’t understand the solution, they stall. A confused customer doesn’t buy. Even if the solution is complex or competition has confused them, present your solution in a simple way.
4. Rescue them from the pain.
When a customer feels overwhelmed by how dire their scenario is, they will delay the project because they “didn’t realize how bad it was.” This is probably the biggest change in this process over the last few years. Before, pain sparked action; today, the pain scares customers to stop. We still must ask painful questions, but we must rescue them early and often during the process. Something as simple as “I think we’ll be able to fix this problem – I’ll know more when we meet next week.” Now, they will look forward to your meeting instead of sticking their heads in the sand.
5. Ask them to confirm or deny the value points.
Salespeople often think they have uncovered the right emotional buying motives and that their value propositions will drive the project to an early decision. Before submitting your proposal, ask your contacts about the real value of your solution. It’s as easy as “… I know this sounded great when we first mentioned it, but do you still see value in it? If so, little value, some value, or is it very valuable to you?”
6. Leverage social proof.
Nothing removes fear like seeing others succeed. Share case studies, testimonials, or success stories from similar customers. If they know someone else has taken the leap and thrived, they will be more likely to follow suit.
