It’s time to decide

We’ve looked at the first three stages a prospect goes through when making a purchase; Awareness, Interest and Evaluation.  The next stage is Analysis.

Prospects at the “Analysis” stage are ready to buy. They have narrowed their decision down to two options.  Typically it’s between two brands, sometimes between two competitors.  Usually at this stage the prospects pain is at its peak and they are ready to decide.

This is where the prospects full buying criteria is reviewed in their mind. For example if a prospect is going to buy a matress, they will have a list of things they want in order of importance.

1. Firmness
2. Size (King, Queen etc.)
3. Brand name
4. Price
5. Delivery & Set up
6. Warranty

If this prospect is trying to decide to buy the matress from Matresses R Us or We Sell Matressess, this is the list they will use to compare the two competitors.  The same is true if the prospect has decided to buy from one competitor, but needs to chose between two brands.

At this stage advertising will not do the trick. Here is where in-store signage and the sales team become critical.

The question is, do you know your customers buying criteria?  Do you have the tools in place to give customers the information they need to make a decision?  Is your staff focusing on price while it’s only the 4th most important thing to your prospect?

Your signage should be intutitve, answering the key questions your prospects will have. Your sales team should be skilled in asking questions to uncover the prospects buying criteria.

Are you the one for me?

Here’s where the pain becomes almost unbearable. At the “evaluation” stage the prospect is in active search for a solution and is looking at all the options available.

This is where your advertising message, if relevent and focused on solving the prospects pain, becomes sticky.

Typically we block out most of the promotional messages that bombard us everyday. Some studies show that each of us is exposed to 1,200 – 2,000 promotional messages a day. However, when we have a need to resolve a pain issue, we let in the messages about that subject.

In your brain is a small part called the reticular. This section is attracted to messages that might help solve our pain problem.

When you’re creating your marketing message, focus on how you have solved this pain issue before.

If we go back to the example of the mattress:

Awareness:  “Not sleeping well? A good night’s sleep is important for good health”

Interest: “A new mattress will allow you to sleep better and have better health”

Evaluation: “Mattresses R Us has the widest selection of mattresses and we offer a 10 year guarantee on all mattresses. We guarantee you’ll have a great night’s sleep.”

Now that I’m interested, don’t lose me

When a prospect is in the interest stage, they have become aware of the pain, but may still not be ready to act.  Some of them may have just become aware of the issue and are just starting to realize there could be a better way.

Your communication at this point is focused on pain resolution. In the Awareness stage you’re identifying the pain, here you’re showing how the pain can be removed.

Example:
Awareness:  “Not sleeping well? A good night’s sleep is important for good health”

Interest: “A new mattress will allow you to sleep better and have better health”

But remember, being relevant is the key. You will never appeal to everyone.  Some people will never have the pain issue you’re identifying.

Why should they pay attention

The single most important thing to remember about marketing is that no one buys anything until it becomes too painful to continue with their present path.  People hate change, just look at the health system. We all know that a healthy lifestyle is beneficial, but most people don’t make a change until their doctor tells them to do it or else.

The same is true in marketing. People buy because they want the pain to stop.

At the “Awareness” stage, there are a few things going on; first this audience may or may not have heard of you and second they may or may not have any pain. In essence your looking at everyone.  While this may seem like an ideal situation as this is the largest possible audience, remember, people only buy when the pain becomes unbarible.

Usually businesses at this stage tell people “we’re open for business”, but what you really want to say is “if you need us were here”. At this stage you want to build up what the pain is for the customer so if and when they have that pain, they think of you.

An example is Speedy Auto Glass. In their TV and radio commercials they say if you ever get a chip in your windshield it could turn into a large break after hitting just one bump on the road, and go from a small repair to a major repair. As soon as you get a chip call us, it could save you a lot of money.

Now if you don’t have a chip in your windshield you have no pain and thus you will probably ignor their advertising. But when you get a chip you think “oh well it’s just a chip, no big deal”.  But once you see this commercial, it may start to resinate with you.

So if you are creating advertising to target people at the awareness stage, make sure you point out the pain.

The 5 steps of buying

When someone buys something they go through 5 steps.  These can take seconds or years depending on your product or service.

The steps are:
1. Awareness – the prospect becomes aware that you exist but have no need for what you sell right now

2. Interest – the prospect has some initial interest but not sure if they really need it

3. Evaluation – the prospect is starting to feel some “pain” and is looking for solutions – evaluating what’s available

4. Analysis – the prospects pain has become intolerable and they are ready to make a decision

5. Adoption – the prospect makes the purchase

At each of these steps, a different message strategy is required.  In general people dislike change, so in order to get someone to buy they must feel enough pain or discomfort to want to make a change.

Your job as a marketer is to identify the potential pain points and let the prospect know that you can solve them.

In the next post we’ll discuss how to create messages for each step.