Buyers and Decision Makes

Years ago, while working at a Sharper Image in Boston, I was helping a couple who were thinking of purchasing one of the massage chairs. While the husband was sitting in the chair I went over its features and benefits. After a few minutes I asked the wife if she would like to try it out as well. Her answer was something I never forgot. She said, "Sure. He may be the buyer but I'm the decision maker." While she said it half-jokingly, she wasn't really kidding. He was going to buy the chair only if she made the decision that he would. One way you can increase your sales productivity is to understand and apply the buyer and decision maker concept. It doesn't matter if your average ticket is $20 or $1000, knowing who is a buyer and who is a decision maker will have a positive impact on your business. For this exercise we'll define the buyer as a person or persons who wants to purchase a particular product or products. The decision maker is the person who ultimately decides if the purchase is made or not. A person can be either or both. Just because a person is shopping alone doesn't mean they are both. They could be a buyer but the decision maker isn't with them or vice versa. It's important to know the needs of each person to help him or her make an informed purchase. Retail salespeople often focus more on the buyer only to be tripped up by the decision maker. You'll see in the following example that it is important to engage and involve both in the sale process. Here are some examples of the buyer/decision maker concept: * Two women are shopping in a jewelry store where one of the women is considering buying herself some new earrings. The one looking at the earrings is both a buyer and a decision maker. Her friend is also a decision maker. To successfully help the buyer make a purchase the retail associate must also involve the friend. Ask the friend some questions that will demonstrate for the buyer her friend's approval of the purchase. One example is, "Don't those look beautiful on her?" * A mother and her teenage daughter are looking at cell phones. If the phone is for the daughter then she is the buyer and the mother is the decision maker. (It could the opposite.) To complete this sale the retail associate must understand what is important to each party. For the daughter it's about fashion and features. For the mother it might be about cost and safety. If you don't satisfy both the buyer and the decision maker you probably won't make the sale. * A husband and wife are considering taking a cruise and are meeting with a travel agent. Couples are always a little tricky since one might be a buyer and the other a decision maker, or they might each be both a buyer and a decision maker. The mistake many salespeople make is that they only engage the person who is showing the most interest, who is usually the buyer. When interviewing, it's essential to uncover what is important to both individuals so each of their needs and concerns are met. Just because they're a couple does not mean they agree on what's important to make a purchase. Today try to identify which customer is a buyer, a decision maker, or both. Just that little exercise will be sure to boost your store sales.