What’s one of the biggest challenges of securing a sale? It’s not rejection–it’s indecisive customers.
Customer indecision is everywhere, from B2B buyers making big purchases to customers shopping for clothes online. And it’s become even more evident as global and economic conditions become more uncertain. According to best-selling sales author Matthew Dixon, 40-60% of a salesperson’s qualified pipeline will ultimately be lost to no decision. That’s a significant loss of revenue and customer relationships.
The key to driving sales is helping customers overcome their indecision.
But Dixon points out that the techniques traditionally used by salespeople aren’t as effective as they once were to move a customer forward. The traditional model encourages salespeople to dial up the FOMO by telling customers they don’t want to miss out on a great offer or product. But leaning into fear or the chance of missing out can drive customers further into indecision.
Instead, Dixon created the JOLT method or four behaviors CX pros and salespeople can do to move past customer indecision.
- J: Judge the level of indecision. Make it safe for customers to talk about their fear of failure or worries. When you understand their hesitation, it’s easier to overcome it.
- O: Offer a recommendation. A common reason for indecision is that customers are overwhelmed by the number of options. Guiding them toward a recommendation that best meets their needs reduces their options and makes the process more manageable.
- L: Limit the exploration. Build trust with the customer by demonstrating your expertise. The goal is to stop customers from falling down the rabbit hole of online reviews and opinions and instead build trust that you’re providing the best option for them.
- T: Take risk off the table. Create a safety net for customers staying by their side. When they trust you, they are more likely to enjoy the ride instead of being scared.
Purchase decisions can be overly complicated, which drives customers away. Dixon says we need to make the purchase experience easier for customers by helping them feel good about the decision. It’s not about scaring them into purchasing but building that relationship so they feel confident in their purchase decision.
Customer indecision can plague your sales and CX teams. But by building trust and following the JOLT method, you can push past indecision to create happy, confident customers.
This episode is sponsored by Thinkific. Try Thinkific for yourself at https://www.thinkific.com/modern/.
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Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist and the author of The Customer Of The Future. Sign up for her weekly email here.