Four Motivations That Turn Prospects Into Buyers
What if there really is a silver bullet that helps you close sales more easily?
We have all heard that the ‘silver bullet’ is a myth, that there is no short cut to making sales…
…you just have to grind it out and play the numbers game. More prospecting = more sales.
It is true that you can make more sales by working harder and talking to more people.
However, it is also true that you can simply improve your sales techniques and sell a higher percentage of the people you are already talking to.
The question is… how do you do that?
How do you improve your conversion percentage (the number of sales divided by the number of sales meetings)?
One of the most powerful levers you have is using psychology.
No, I’m not talking about treating clients like rats in mazes and using electric shock experiments.
(Note: Using these techniques assumes a few key principles: 1) your product or service is of high quality and delivers on its promises, 2) you only sell to those who can truly benefit from your product or service, 3) you will walk away from a sale if your product or service will not be the best option for your prospect)
One psychological tool to use is motivation.
Motivation is defined by Merriam Webster as “the condition of being eager to act or work; a force or influence that causes someone to do something”.
In short, it is the power that causes a prospect to feel emotionally satisfied with a choice.
It is the lever that causes a prospect to purchase from you or not.
It is the magic button that, when pushed, allows your prospect to have complete confidence in pulling out his wallet.
When you tap into a prospect’s true motivation, they understand how your product or service will help them feel emotionally satisfied at a deep level.
If you fail to connect to your prospect’s motivation, you will find yourself pitching features and benefits to no avail. And you will lose sales that should easily have been yours.
The Five Basic Human Motivations
There are five basic human motivations:
Achievement
Recognition
Control
Affiliation
Altruism
Most people have a combination of these motivators working at any given time.
However, in a buying situation, each person has one primary motivation and at least one secondary one.
Let’s look at the four most common motivations in a business setting*…
Achievement
Achievement-motivated prospects are a lot of fun to sell to.
They are motivated by progress and results. They have a desire to improve simply for the sake of improvement.
They deeply appreciate things that will make them or the company bigger, better, faster or stronger.
These goal-focused individuals love to get things done and, if engaged, will see obstacles as challenges to tackle rather than deal-breakers.
If you can demonstrate with statistics or measurements how your prospect will make progress (grow revenue, increase customer count, etc.), you can close the sale easily. But, you must have real numbers to show if you want to win their business.
Achievement-motivated prospects tend to be fairly risk-tolerant but may want to know what will happen if your product or service under-performs expectations.
Signs your prospect is achievement-motivated:
She actively participates in a sport, particularly one where she is measured against herself (running, swimming, golf, cycling, etc.).
He has charts or graphs in his office showing his goals and his current status
She asks questions about results your other clients have gotten and is interested in results-based testimonials.
He asks if your product or service comes with a guarantee of performance.
Recognition
Recognition-motivated prospects like to have the attention of others and to be seen in a favorable light.
These prospects want others to notice how well they or the company are doing. They want to be singled out as worthy of emulation or special attention.
Recognition-motivated prospects are also very cautious about risks to their reputation and will seek to avoid drawing attention to anything negative about themselves or their performance.
If you can show this prospect how they will get the positive attention of their boss for choosing your solution, you can make the sale. If they are accompany owner, you must show them how choosing you will enhance their image in the community or industry.
You will likely have to assure them that you will take full responsibility and blame if something goes wrong in your work with them. They will want to protect their reputation around the choice they made.
Signs your prospect is recognition-motivated:
He has pictures of himself with celebrities or in high-prestige locations
She is impressed if you mention one of your high profile or have a testimonial from someone she respects.
He asks if he will have an opportunity to be featured in your testimonials if things go well
She wants to know, if things go poorly with your company, what you personally will do to take responsibility and blame.
Control
Control-motivated prospects like to be in charge of things.
They like to feel like they are the ones making decisions. They also like to feel the keepers of judgment about the success or failure of your product or service delivery.
These prospects tend to like order, organization and timeliness, so make sure you are dressed properly for the meeting and are a few minutes early.
These prospects are often in power roles and it is likely you will run up against them often, especially in business-to-business sales.
To sell to these prospects, you will want to ask a lot of questions and avoid directly contradicting them. Let them think that each good idea is theirs.
While it may sound like they are difficult or that you need to pander to them, control-motivated prospects are not at all hard to sell. They just like to feel like they hold all the cards.
Control-motivated prospects tend to be fairly risk-tolerant. You won’t have to focus on guarantees or refund policies as, once they make a decision, they trust it is the right one for them.
Signs your prospect is control-motivated:
She is likely in a high position such as CEO or owner
She will choose the time, location and duration of the meeting
He will tell you clearly what he likes and doesn’t like about you and your product or service
She will have a tidy, organized office with few items on the desk
He will usually seat you across the desk from himself
Affiliation
Affiliation-motivated prospects like to feel connected to others or be a part of a group or collective.
They want to be liked and get along well with others.
These prospects are very collaborative and will want to work with you to find ways to work together.
Affiliation-motivated prospects are seeking long-term relationships and may take a long time to purchase while they build the relationship.
The good news is that they tend to be loyal customers once they finally buy.
Affiliation-motivated prospects love story-based testimonials. They want to be a part of a company that takes care of its customers and these stories help them feel that connection.
Affiliation-motivated prospects can be somewhat risk-averse in that they are careful to ensure that their decision won’t negatively impact others. If you can assure them that other people in their organization (or family) will be positively impacted by their decision they can more easily move forward in the buying process.
Signs your prospect is affiliation-motivated:
He will have many pictures of his family and friends in his office
She will have signs that she is a member of community organizations (Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) visible
He will often ask questions about you as you are asking questions about him
She will often take a seat next to you at a table away from the desk
He may ask to speak to other clients or request case studies and testimonials
When you identify a prospect’s motivation in the first few minutes of a sales meeting, you can quickly adapt your presentation to focus on their specific emotional desires.
That leads to faster, more satisfying sales for both of you.
And isn’t that what really you want to accomplish with your prospects?
*Altruism, the motivation to do things for the greater good, often at one’s own expense, is a motivator in business. However, as a primary or secondary motivator it shows up so rarely that it doesn’t warrant a discussion in this post.
