The Buyers Journey

Thanks to the vast amount of information that is available buyers are very well informed and because of this, hard selling techniques we were used to years ago have fallen by the wayside and its more to a sales conversation. And to do this a sales rep must “get to know the buyer” and take him through a journey.

All buyers go through a process of consider, evaluate, and then purchase. Even an impulsive buyer does not wake up one morning and decide to buy a business.

A salesperson needs to understand the journey and along this journey the buyer encounters different experiences which may influence their ways, thinking and buying pattern. A salesperson must pick up and understand at which stage the buyer is at.

There are normally 3 stages to a buyer’s journey:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Decision

Let’s look at these different stages

Awareness

The buyer now has realised there is a problem, and the goal now is to solve it, this may require additional information for better understanding of the situation

Consideration

At this stage the buyer will have a clear indication of the potential problem and a way to solve it

Decision

At this stage the buyer will have a solution to their problem, have it solved or be on the way to solving it, and finally make a concise decision to move forward.