The Customer buying situation

To give a simplified picture one can say that the customers’ buying motives are about either achieving or avoiding something. For natural reasons it’s quite often about economical motives – one wishes to increase the revenue or lower the costs. Apart from this the motives may be linked to safety and security or convenience. One doesn’t want to risk making a fool of oneself, making a mistake or ending up with extra work.

Other more or less strong buying motives could be status and prestige. Strong brands can offer this per se. Trendy products is one way of signaling to the world that one is ”with it”. Apart from similar motives, there are customers who have a need to break old habits and routine and bring new blood to their business. Expressing dissatisfaction can also be a reason for choosing a new supplier, especially if one wishes to demonstrate this discontent to the previous supplier.
The grounds that have impact on a customers’ decision can be divided into two areas. Normally we speak about facts and feelings. They could look like this:

The entire situation is further complicated by the fact that it’s actually the
customers’ personal perception and judgement that founds the basis for their decision. It’s the way that the customers’ themselves perceive the situation, their needs and how they grade the various alternatives open to them that counts. This is in turn based on the customers’ personal experiences, how they interpret the messages communicated by the various parties involved and the image others have provided them. Naturally also their own values and norms as well as personal motives matter.

A perfect quotation, followed by a fantastic presentation and an extremely favourable offer may have very little importance if the customer simply doesn’t have the strength to change their supplier owing to negative personal experiences from previous attempts. 
The more one as a salesman knows about the above, the better ones chances are of having a successful sales process.