Will They Buy? Look at Their Behavior

Many years ago, I tried my hand at selling beauty products. Although I wanted sell to everyone, I had a difficult time. I chuckle now at how I used to try and convince women who didn’t like make-up to buy cosmetics. I broached women whose personal routines were very no-frill and showed them all the luxurious personal care products. Oh man! I meant well but was clearly barking up the wrong tree.

as eager to dive into this line of business, I was quite misguided. While the company encouraged the consultants to think creatively, be inclusive and

I now recognize that you have to look at the natural behavior of a person to tell whether they would be a good prospect for your product or service.

It’s nearly impossible to sell an expensive membership to an elite fitness center to a “couch potato”. It is, however, much easier to sell that same membership to someone who already spends money on other self-care services and products.

Look at the person’s lifestyle and buying patterns and that will tell you the likelihood of their becoming a client for your own services.

If you’re a health and wellness professional, look for prospects who already invest in such professional services as a nutritionist, a life coach, massage therapy, etc.

If you sell business services, your better prospects will already be paying for office space, an assistant, a bookkeeper, conferences and networking organizations.

How to use this in your sales process?

That’s what the free initial consult / discovery call is for. Asking them questions about their challenges and problems, their visions and goals is typical. But also make sure to fully understand the “what else” type of expenses they routinely pay for in their lives. Just ask.

Here’s an action item for you that will be super helpful in your prospecting activities: identify other products and services in a similar category to what you provide.  What does that say about the lifestyle and/or work habits of the prospect? Don’t waste valuable time and energy by toughing it out with a hard sale!