Marketers of complex high value products and services have a hard time in grasping the learning process of the buyer. Here are some quotes we have heard from businesses about their prospects and customers over the years:
They are not ready to buy
They don’t know what they want
They are not clear about the problem they are trying to solve
They want too much customization
They don’t have a budget
They are not sure of their budget
Just think back of your first home purchase and replace the “They” with “We” being your family. Here is how the above quotes would have looked like, at the time you started to look to buy your first home:
They We are not ready to buy
They We don’t know what they we want
They We are not clear about the problem they are trying to solve house we want
They We want too much customization many changes in the house we like
They We don’t have a budget
They We are not sure of their our budget
You get the picture. So how did you solve your first house buying problem? You started by going to open houses and getting an idea of what was available. As you saw more and more houses you got a better idea of things you needed to have (eg. must have a fireplace, near to good schools) and what you really didn’t care about (eg. a walk out basement). Meanwhile you tried to get your budget and loan limits clarified and tried to work with what you could afford.
When it comes to complex purchases – buyers’ minds get clearer (on what they want and how much they are willing to pay) as they go through the search and buying process.
If you are always wondering about the confusion that you sense in the buyer’s mind – think of your first home purchase. An easy way of putting yourself in your customer’s shoes.