14 Ways Buyers Want to Feel

You’ve heard before that all buying is emotional. Whether you sell to businesses, governments or consumers, your buyers go through a variety of emotional states during the sales process. And while those emotional states at the start of the process can sometimes be positive (hopeful, excited), very often they’re negative.

When a buyer begins their buying process, they can feel:

• Anxious—about the process or the money involved
• Scared—of making the wrong choice
• Pressured—by bosses, family members or deadlines
• Annoyed—at having to buy something they don’t want to
• Frustrated—with their issue, the process or other people involved

And they don’t want to feel this way. One of the goals of their purchase is to eliminate these negative emotions and replace them with positive ones.

By the end of the buying process, customers want to feel:

1. Important
2. Smart
3. Respected
4. Safe
5. Secure
6. Hopeful
7. Comfortable
8. Confident
9. Relaxed
10. Happy
11. Excited
12. Special
13. Enviable
14. Appreciated

And here’s an important point: Whoever does the best job of making buyers experience these fourteen emotions is the most likely to make the sale.

So how can you replace your prospect’s negative emotions with positive ones? Here are some suggestions:

• Greet them with a warm smile and friendly handshake
• Offer them food and drink
• Learn their name and use it
• Ask them about themselves and their situation
• Listen attentively
• Let them sit in a comfortable chair
• Validate their opinions and ideas
• Stress your warranties and guarantee
• Take their objections and concerns seriously
• Provide them with testimonials
• Share examples, stories and case studies
• Refrain from rushing or pressuring them
• Give them a free trial or sample
• Treat everyone in the buying process with respect
• Send them a thank-you note or gift after the sale

Top salespeople understand that a big part of their job is managing their prospects’ emotional states. People won’t buy when they’re scared or angry. They buy when they’re comfortable and confident. And they buy from the person who makes them feel that way, along with the other ways in the above list.

So worry less about your product or service, and more about how your prospect feels. Because when you make your buyer feel most or all of these fourteen emotions, they’ll feel they should buy from you.