Consumers want to Buy. This is one thing that is stopping them.
According to a 2024 Accenture report, nearly 3 out of 4 consumers (74%) decided against making a purchase they wanted to make because they simply couldn’t decide what to buy.
Too many choices, too much information and too little confidence in making a good decision.
Have you ever experienced that as a consumer? I do all the time.
Every single one of your salespeople needs to hear that statistic. It gives them a glimpse into the mindset of their buyer before they ever talk to them. A few safe conclusions they can make from this fact:
- Consumers want to buy things
- Adding more choices is bad
- Buying is more about confidence in a decision than any other factor
That means salespeople can drop the anxiety about how much their products or services cost. The consumer knows already. They wouldn’t still be looking if they didn’t think they could find something in their price range. Price might be a function of whether they feel they are buying the “right” thing, but it shouldn’t be the primary concern.
The real job of a salesperson is to build confidence, not to present options.
Think about what a consumer is actually feeling when they talk to a salesperson for the first time. They clearly want something. They may have already done research and sometimes they already have an idea of what they want. But somewhere between awareness and action, doubt crept in. That doubt is the obstacle to the sale, and it has very little to do with price.
Salespeople need to get to the root of the doubt quickly, without adding to it if possible. That means not introducing anything more to the customer’s list of choices unless it is very clear that what they are considering is not a good fit for them. If that is true, tell that as early as possible so you can steer them toward a better solution without adding too much stress.
The salesperson needs to help with the process of elimination. Providing an honest, expert opinion about what they are considering and what they are trying to accomplish is a must.
How to make the stat actionable
Sales leaders should look at this stat and see tremendous potential for their salespeople. Human advisors can still play a big role in shaping consumer purchase decisions, and if you are good at it, it can help set you apart from the competition.
Share the 74% statistic with your sales team. Ask them if they have ever worked with a customer who was struggling to make a final decision. How did they handle that?
Use that dialogue as an opportunity to reframe the conversation for your salespeople. Instead of asking, “How do I get the customer to say yes?” the better question is, “How do I help this customer feel confident in their decision?”
The buyer knows that something out there exists to meet their needs, they just want to feel good they are getting the best thing. Salespeople need to shift their mindset to making it safe for the customer to make that decision.
They want to buy, your salespeople just need to focus on solving the right problem.
