Overcoming Consumer Indecision during a Recession
How do we stay one step ahead when the economy falls behind?
In Consumer Indecision During a Recession, I discussed how consumer indecision is at its core the fear of failure and increases during a recession. This indecision leads to long sales cycles or lost deals.
The question that remains is how can we get ahead of consumer indecision, especially during a market downturn. Businesses can’t just cash out all of their chips in the good years. Overcoming indecision in a bear market requires foresight in the bull market. Businesses need to invest in training, relationship building, and enhancing ROI.
Training
All sales teams are privy to the trite expression “Always be closing.” A better adage to abide by is “Always be qualifying.”
Sales reps need to be trained on how to determine whether a lead or prospect is worth their time. In addition to identifying a prospect who matches their buyer persona, sales reps should be adept at judging the customer’s ability to decide.
In the Jolt Effect, Mathew Dixon and Ted McKenna discuss how reps need to measure certain variables to assess consumer indecision. The questions they can ask to understand these variables are: