October 25, 2011 12:00:00 am

Decision Making part 1

By BizWest Staff

I learned quite a few lessons while in the time-share industry many years ago. One valuable lesson was that ‘be-backs’ don’t buy! Be-backs was the name we gave to customers who said they would “get back to you.” The purchase always sounded great to them but an immediate decision was impossible for various reasons – just short of “my dog ate the homework.” They would swear to call you soon with an answer – which was probably going to be “yes” – but the phone never rang. At first, I would occasionally pick up the phone to make sure that there was still a dial tone because it never rang. I could not understand it. They promised that they would call soon with an answer and they were good people. I was sure of it.

In the world of personalities, the decision most Analyticals and Craftsmen choose is NOT to make a decision. It is important to understand that those two personalities will choose to avoid a risk at all costs and they perceive making any decision that will upset their normal status quo as taking a risk. And buying something new or doing something in a different way is changing the status quo. It is also very helpful for the salesperson to realize that, when dealing with an Analytical or Craftsman, there is no such thing as a quick sale. They require much more information than the Driver or Persuader but there is a fine line between enough and too much. Even though they feel they need and want a lot of information they can easily get overwhelmed with too many details and statistics, causing ‘info overload’ which delays – and probably negates – any decision-making. This is that fine line a salesperson must be careful not to cross. They usually need a good kick in the butt to make a decision.

My next blog will discuss various ways to accomplish this – in very low pressure ways.