Some people are “closed” to being “open.” For others, it’s the reverse.
Some fear sales techniques so much, they won’t look at things that could be good for them. To them, it doesn’t matter what they are selling, they aren’t buying. To them, all goods and services are the equivalent of snake oil.
Others are always looking. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it sounds good to them at first blush, they’ll check it out. They are not necessarily compulsive buyers, though that group is definitely out there and may need some help. Rather, they are compulsive shoppers, or “lookers.”
This group, perhaps, can spend hours at the mall and never buy anything. Or, they’ll see something that they want, check out the value and, if it works for them, pick it up. They may have never realized they wanted or needed it, until they saw it.
Unlike compulsive buying, compulsive looking is not an affliction. It’s a state of mind. In 1803, the United States was a small nation expanding westward. President Thomas Jefferson was looking for use of the Mississippi River, which the French, at the time, controlled. Napoleon Bonaparte, who was leading France at the time, needed cash to fight his wars throughout the world. The U.S. was open to buying and, with a stroke of a pen and $15 million, the U.S. bought the land known as the Louisiana Territory (The Louisiana Purchase). The U.S. instantly doubled in size, since the territory included not only the Mississippi River Valley, but much of what is now the Midwest plains and Rocky Mountain regions.
THE FEAR OF BEING ‘CLOSED’
Transactions like this fulfill a need for both buyer and seller. They produce win-win situations. One may never see such a situation if one is not looking. Salespeople are taught to “close” their prospects and create an urgency to buy. Sometimes, the urgency to sell creates a fear of buying. Those that want to avoid that fear, or risk, are “closed” to being open.
Conversely, those who are “open” to being “closed” will risk that fear. They have the mind-set of wanting to see something, but also may not bite at first offer. There may be a need to “kick the tires.” There may be a need to study what they have seen to feel good about the transaction.
Salespeople needn’t curse these people. Many will eventually buy. As long as the product is good, the true compulsive lookers will see it in due time.
There’s nothing wrong with offering incentives that have a deadline to create buying urgency. As long as the product will never go away, some lookers may be willing to forgo the incentives until they’re 100 percent comfortable with the transaction. The seller may know something the looker doesn’t, but the looker may need time to see what he will eventually buy.
The lesson here is: don’t instinctively say “no” when someone offers to share something with you. You could be missing out on the best thing that has ever come into your life. You may be missing out on the answer to your prayers. Be a compulsive “looker.” What you see may not be what you want, but you won’t know if you don’t look. You can’t “kick the tires” if you won’t look at the car.
Peter
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