They Ask, You Answer

Brainstorm every question you’ve ever been asked by a prospect or customer. Focus on their fears, issues, concerns, and worries. State them on paper exactly as the buyer would ask (or search) them, not the way you (as the business) would state them.

Just as we did with used cars, take a moment to brainstorm every single reason (fear, worry, question, concern) as to why someone would not buy from your company. What would hold them back? What would keep them from clicking “buy,” swiping their credit card, or writing that big check?

Write down every question you’ve ever received from a prospect or customer who was asking you to compare two or more things. This could include products, brands, methods, companies, and other subjects. It could also include your products and services or ones you don’t even sell.

Today, on average, 70 percent of the buying decision is made before a prospect talks to the company.

Once you’ve listed each of these fears or reasons for not buying, now comes the critical step: How many of these issues (fears, worries, concerns, questions, objections, and others) have already been addressed well (a few sentences don’t count) on your company website?

As you might imagine, by doing this, CarMax has eliminated salespeople’s need to think about themselves (wanting a higher commission) over the consumer (finding the right vehicle based on need)—ultimately leading to dramatically more trust during the buying process because customers believe the company, and the salesperson, have their best interest

How many have been addressed within your sales process?

Once again they were able to overcome, and practically eliminate, one of the biggest fears in buying a used car—buyer’s remorse.

And when I say “obsession,” I really mean that. It extends past “What are they thinking?” to “What are they searching, asking, feeling, and fearing?”