It doesn’t take a psychologist to realize that the custom home business isn’t just about bricks and mortar but also about feelings and relationships. Your customers aren’t just buying homes, they are buying into your company’s image and the way it makes them feel to be associated with it. Let’s explore the psychology that goes into customers’ buying decisions.
People buy products and services because they convey some sort of feeling, some sort of emotion. Here is a brief list of the emotional reasons that your prospects will buy from you:
They sense a degree of variety or excitement in your product or service. Why else would someone lay down their cash for a skydiving adventure?
They want the feeling of security or peace of mind that your product will give them. For example, alarm systems, gated communities, extended warranty plans, and life insurance may fall into this category.
They get a sense of possibility or opportunity. The opportunity can be something that translates into more revenue for them or more freedom. Take a look at the stock market and you’ll grasp this point.
They desire a more convenient lifestyle. For example, when someone buys a new home, a primary consideration is the location of the neighborhood. Is it close to schools, work, church, shopping, the gym, relatives, and friends? If the answer is yes, their level of convenience is very high.
They may even buy based on fear. It could be fear of the loss of a good deal, fear that they will miss an opportunity to save money, or fear that their buying choices will not look good to their peers and friends.
As you can see, sales are often based on feelings; that’s why it’s so important to try to stimulate feelings of happiness and security in the minds of prospects. The No. 1 way to do this is through your own attitude. Your attitude about your product and service is a dominant factor in a customer’s decision to buy from you. Once you have tapped into a customer’s real reasons for buying, it all boils down to your enthusiastic attitude about your product. After all, if you are not genuinely enthusiastic about your offering, how can you expect your prospect to get excited?
Upbeat or Deadbeat? Negative thoughts and emotions will kill your sales. Here are five ways to avoid a deadbeat sales attitude:
Harness the power of your body. The happiest, most positive-minded people show it all day long with body language. Believe it or not, a smile, eye contact, and upright posture will help you to increase your sales. As you interact with customers, move with confidence and poise. Have a warm, friendly smile. Be pleasant and add a little humor to your presentation. You don’t have to be a Jim Carrey jokester, but humor is contagious and laughter creates more oxygen flow to the brain.
Check your inner conversation. I read recently that the average human has 40,000 thoughts every day. What are you doing with your thoughts? Use them to think of the opportunities in every prospect. Continuously think of the ways that you can serve your customer rather than what is in it for you. And focus on the long-term benefits of connecting with your prospects in a deep, meaningful way.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. Preparation reduces fear. When fear is reduced or eliminated, your thoughts and actions are not hampered or restricted. You can act naturally and comfortably with your customers. You will not be unduly concerned about what you are going to say or do next because you are prepared. You will know the benefits of your product, and you will have answers for common objections and questions your prospect may have. There is no such thing as a lucky sale. A sale happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Concentrate your focus. Your ability to focus on the positive outcomes of your sales presentation will determine your level of sales success. In other words, are you concentrating on what you do want to happen rather than what you do not want to happen? Focus on your sales objectives and goals rather than external influences over which you have no control, like a loose economy or market timidity. The thing you focus on will expand to become your reality.
Be sincere. All of the sales strategies in the world will not help you one bit if you are not a genuinely caring person. Your customer knows when you are faking it. Be your unique self and your customer will gravitate to you and trust you. The biggest benefit in being sincere is that you will be living your life with self-confidence, high values, and integrity.
Avoiding a deadbeat attitude will help you sell more, earn more, and achieve more. Your level of career satisfaction will skyrocket. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Paul Montelongo has been a builder for more than 23 years and is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant to the construction industry. Visit Paul at www.contractorofchoice.com.
