The Biggest Mistake in Sales Messaging – And How to Avoid It

Customers follow a predictable process when making decisions.  And that helps us when it comes to crafting our sales messaging.

The Buyers Journey

Here you see a model of the buyer’s journey.

The Buyer’s Journey

• Initially they’re unaware and not in the market.
• In the next phase they become aware that they might have an issue and so they’re asking themselves “Do I really have a problem?”
• Once their convinced they have a problem they ask themselves if it’s really big enough to do something about.
• Once they decide that it’s big enough to do something about they start looking for possible ways they could solve it.  That might include your type of solution or it might not.  Everything is fair game at this stage.
• Once they decided that a particular kind of solution is the best way to solve the problem, they start looking at which specific solution in that category is best for them.
• Once they think they’ve figured out which solution is best, they begin to justify the decision to move forward and ask themselves if it’s really worth doing?
• If they get past that, then they start thinking “What’s the best possible deal I can get?”
• And then of course, once they’ve made the final decision they’re all excited and want to get started yesterday.

The Three Basic Stages of The Buyers Journey

The Three Basic Stages of The Buyer’s Journey

Now inside this model there are basically three stages:  Awareness, Consideration and Decision.

In outbound prospecting we are most likely to be having conversations in the Awareness Phase

In outbound selling (i.e. prospecting) we are most likely to be having conversations in the Awareness Phase where we’re making prospects aware that they have a problem or have potential for upside, and how big that problem or upside might be.

In the next series of posts I will be sharing an brand-new model of messaging that recent data has proven to be the best at getting executive buyers to decide now.  But before I share that, I want to discuss the most common mistake I see in regards to the buyer’s journey.

The Most Common Mistake In Sales Messaging

The Biggest and Most Common Mistake is Sales and Marketing Messaging

The biggest and most common mistake in sales messaging is this:  Trying to have a conversation with a customer in one stage when they are in another.

The biggest and most common mistake in sales messaging is trying to have a conversation with a customer in one stage when they are in another.

Here the salesperson is red speaking to the Evaluate Solutions stage by talking about how great his solution is while the customer is still in the Awareness Stage and wondering if they really have a problem.

This is important – when a salesperson speaks to a stage farther along the buyers journey than where the customer is, they come off as being pushy.  Even when it’s unintentional.

It damages rapport.  And, importantly – it’s just not effective.  And that’s the only reason we’re learning this right?  To be more effective.

When a salesperson speaks to a stage farther along the buyers journey than where the customer is, they come off as being pushy.

The Golden Rule of Sales Engagement

The Golden Rule of Sales Engagement

The Golden Rule of Sales Engagement is this:  Meet The Customer Where They Are.

Not where you are, or where you want them to be, but where they are.  And in outbound prospecting, customers are almost always in the awareness stage.
And that has a direct bearing on the messaging we use.

In anticipation of the High-Impact Messaging Framework our next post we will begin crafting valuable sales messages by answering The Three Whys.

Prospecting Secrets: 

• Customers follow a predictable process when making decisions.
• The Golden Rule of Sales Engagement is this: Meet The Customer Where They Are.

Until next time!

James