SOLUTION OVERLOADING Are you over selling your Customer? by Jody Euloth T hese days, we have so many options to choose from and too many decisions to make. Don’t you sometimes wish decisions were made for you? There’s nothing better when decisions are made easy. It is satisfying and refreshing when there is no doubt or hesitation because you just know it’s right. I have a close friend who is great at planning things. Though she has a successful career in insurance, I swear she was an event planner in another life. When it’s time for our annual girls’ weekend away, we collectively brainstorm all the destinations of interest. Once we’ve narrowed it down to our top five, we leave it up to our friend to do all the research and report back with the best options. She typically gives us one, maybe two options. She knows us well enough that if we have a choice between Paris, New York, Toronto, Atlanta or Las Vegas, we will never decide. Or it will, most definitely, take a lot longer to agree and cause headaches and unnecessary stress. To avoid delay and confusion, she presents the best possible option and makes a great case for it. She presents why it’s a great oppor- tunity to go, the dates that offer the best pricing on flights and accommodations, events that are hap - pening in the city during that time, and a restaurant with a vibe she knows we will enjoy and of course all the best places to shop while we are in town. She always presents a strong case and then, kindly offers to book the trip for us. And all we have to do is show up at the airport. How easy is that? It’s a done deal and the trips always exceeds our expectations.
The same strategy goes when presenting solutions to your prospect. After completing the proper dis- covery sessions with your client, you should understand their needs and create the best solution to meet those needs and offer it. And as the expert, you must confidently and convincingly present the benefits and differentiators of choosing this option. Failure to clearly communicate and demonstrate this can lead to consumer confusion, in turn, having a negative impact on the sales cycle and you having to come up with a different solution for the customer. Consumer confusion stems from information overload and leaves room for your prospects to make imper- fect purchasing decisions. It leads to reduced sales, reduced satisfaction with purchase and insecure
decision making. With too many options, it can be very overwhelming making it difficult for your client to comfortably say yes. This confusion steers them in the wrong direction and makes it easy for them to opt out of deciding. It will stall the sales cycle and you will potentially lose the sale completely. When it comes time to present your proposal, deliver one strong option with confidence and make sure it’s the best option for your client. You can offer a few options, especially regarding price points, but make sure you vocalize the option you think is best and why. Information overload triggers insecure decision making, which can lead to buyer’s remorse. If anything happens after the purchase that does not meet or exceed your client’s expectations, it will have them thinking they made the wrong decision and should have chosen one of those other options. Let’s make it easy for one another, shall we? It’s our duty to help one another in offering solutions to problems and in articulating this in a persuasive way. I know I appreciate it when someone makes my decisions easy, and your clients will to.
Now, time for me to get after the girls for another trip to explore a new destination.
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JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
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