The decision-maker, power buyer, the person who pulls the trigger: These are the people who make deals happen — the ones who get chased by every smart salesperson out there. Here’s a tip: If you want to catch them, you need to understand them.
We rarely put ourselves in their shoes. What does the act of making decisions really entail?
John Tierney’s recent article, “To Choose Is to Lose,” talks about “decision fatigue.” It’s simple: the more choices one makes throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain. Eventually, it looks for shortcuts, usually in one of two very different ways: (1) becoming reckless by acting impulsively or (2) doing nothing.
CSO Insights continues to finds up to 30% of deals fall in the “no decision” category, and there are several reasons:
(1) Aligning with the wrong person, such as the No-Po;
(2) Not qualifying effectively; and
(3) Not understanding that your decision-maker is suffering from decision fatigue.
We are living in uncertain economic times. More and more people are putting off making decisions and simply holding out for something better to come along. They are juggling all sorts of daily decisions at work. If nothing is compelling them to make the big decisions, and fatigue sets in. They are just too tired to pull the trigger on your deal, or anyone else’s.
Tierny’s article also tells an interesting story that is instructive for salespeople: The cases for prisoners up for parole are presented throughout the day. But time of day proves crucial: The prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole 70% of the time , while those who appeared late in the day were paroled less than 10% of the time. The learning piece here is to always schedule your presentation early in the day, and make it as easy, quick, and painless as possible — and add positive energy to speed the process along.
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