Buyer’s Fear

About 50% of all proposed sales end with no-decision, mainly because of the buyer’s fear of making the wrong decision.  

The other week, Ton Dobbe proposed a good way of handling this. Here it is, with some minor tweaks.

Score: 1-3 (High Fear)
Your deals are stuck in the perfectionism zone. Your buyer is paralysed by what-ifs, continuously expanding the decision committee and fixating on failure scenarios. Listen for:

"We need to run this by legal, procurement, and our technical committee."

"What if this fails, and I'm responsible?"

"We've been burned before..."

Score: 4-6 (Working Through It)

They're methodical but moving. Your buyer is doing their due diligence, asking smart questions, and following a process. Listen for:

"We need to be thorough about this."

"Can you share some similar examples?"

"What's your implementation process?"

Score: 7-10 (High Confidence)
Your buyer acts like an owner. They're confident, decisive, and might even volunteer as a reference. Listen for:

"This is exactly what we need."

"I can make this call."

"When can we start?"

Listen for these patterns and adapt your approach:

• Low score? Bring in references early, offer guarantees.

• Mid score? Share detailed case studies, provide proof points.

• High score? Focus on speed to value, discuss implementation.

You can find Ton Dobbe here: https://valueinspiration.com/

25 February 2025