Transcript A 5-Step Process - Selling: The Profession

Chapter 4
Purchase Behavior and Communication
Learning Objectives
 Determine the differences between individual and
organizational buyers.
 Learn environmental influences on the purchase decision
process.
 Find out what goes into the successful sending and receiving
of a message.
 Examine methods for overcoming communication barriers.
 Understand the importance of using the voice as a
communication tool.
 Explore the effects of body language and proxemics in
selling.
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Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
 Contained 268 words
 198 were one syllable
words
 50 were two syllable
words
 Only 20 words had more
than two syllables
Small words really work!
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Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior is the set of actions that make up
an individual’s consideration, purchase, and use of
products and services. This includes the purchase as
well as the consumption of the products and
services.
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The Purchase Decision Process
Problem Recognition
(Motive Arousal)
The Search for Alternatives
Internal Search
(Habitual, Routine)
External Search
(Extensive, Limited)
Evaluation of Alternatives
The Purchase Decision
Postpurchase Evaluation
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The Purchase Decision Process
(A 5-Step Process)
I. Problem Recognition (Motive Arousal)
 May occur when the customer receives information
from advertising or from conversation with friends
that causes awareness of need
 In relationship selling, sometimes hinges on the
seller’s ability to uncover a need
 May occur when the consumer re-evaluates the
current situation and perceives an area of void or
dissatisfaction
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The Purchase Decision Process
(A 5-Step Process)
2. Search for Alternatives
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Limited By:
Time and cost
Experience and urgency
Value of purchase
Risk involved in the purchase
3. Evaluation of Alternatives
 Evoked Set is the list of alternatives
 Salient attributes are used to evaluate products
 Determinate attributes are motives used to make a decision
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The Purchase Decision Process
(A 5-Step Process)
4. Purchase Decision
 Several alternatives may seem equally acceptable
 Can be made easier by a professional salesperson
 Involves a set of related criteria
 Tangible features of the product
 Financial considerations: price, discounts, credit policies
 Intangible factors: reputation, past performance, or delivery
dates
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The Purchase Decision Process
(A 5-Step Process)
5. Postpurchase Evaluation
Cognitive Dissonance is….
 The level of anxiety depends on the importance of the
decision and the attractiveness of rejected alternatives
A seller can reduce this by:
 Reinforcing the buyer’s belief that the right decision was
made
 Demonstrating the capabilities and quality of the
product
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Influences on the Purchase Decision Process
 Psychological Influences:
 The role of perception
 Mood of the moment
 Attitudes
 Attitudes are habitual patterns of response to previous experiences
 A negative attitude must be overcome before a sale can be made
 Attitudes are the mind’s paintbrush. They can color or affect any
situation
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How Many Squares Do You See?
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The Self-Image
 Self-image impacts the problem
recognition phase of consumer
behavior
 Many of our permanent beliefs
about our self-image are developed
in our childhood
 Advertisements that are consistent
with our self-image are more
persuasive
 Self-image and public-image are not
always the same
 Much behavior can be explained if
the self-image is understood
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Sociocultural Influences
 Culture is an influence that is a completely learned
and handed-down way of life
 Cross-culture business considerations
 Physical Environment
 Social Class
 Impacts the information search phase of consumer
behavior
 Advertising campaigns must differ in their attempts to
reach the various social classes
 Reference Groups
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Organizational Buying Versus Consumer Buying
 Some fundamental differences
 For Organizational Buyers…
 Decision Maker - usually a buying center
 Buying Criteria - more complex
 Buying Motivation - rational, economic, and/or emotional
 Characteristics of Organizational Buyers
 Fewer in number
 Purchases involve larger dollar volume
 Less freedom of decision
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Organizational Buying Versus Consumer Buying
Ultimate Consumer
Buying Motives
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Increase wealth
Alleviate fear
Secure social approval
Satisfy bodily needs
Experience happiness or
pleasure
Gaining an advantage
Imitating
Dominating others
Recreation
Improving health
Organizational Buying
Motives
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Profit
Economy
Flexibility
Uniformity of output
Salability
Protection
Utility
Guarantees
Delivery
Quality
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Multiple Buying Influence
 Multiple Buying Influence
 Several people involved directly or indirectly in the decision
making process
 The Buying Center
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Users
Buyers
Influencers
Gatekeepers
Decision Makers
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Organizational Buying Motives
 For organizational buyers, more of the decisions are
based on rational buying motives rather than
emotional motives
 Research and analysis concerning the product and
the company conducted prior to purchase
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The Communication Agenda
The Channels Through Which
Communication Must Flow:
Source
Encoding the
Message
The
sender of
the
message
Achieved
through
the use of
symbols
Evaluating
the
prospects
decoding
The Message
Itself
Did they
get it?
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The Communication Model for Verbal and
Nonverbal Messages
Verbal/Nonverbal
(Noise)
Source
Encoding
(Implications)
Message
(Actions)
Decoding
(Inferences)
Receiver
Verbal Skills
(Clarify Meaning)
Nonverbal Skills
(Read)
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Barriers to Effective Communication
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Words chosen
Possible distractions
Timing of meeting
Interruptions
Technical Erudition
Poor listening habits
Make use of feedback
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The Use of the Voice
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Clarity or Articulation
Volume
Uniqueness
Silence
Rhythm
Rate of Speech
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The Ability to Manage Communication Dimensions
55%
Visual
% of Total Impact
38%
Tone of
Voice
7%
Words
Low
Ability to
Control
Medium
High
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Selling Without Words
(Nonverbal Communication)
 Visual communication expresses the majority of a
person’s feelings and emotions
 Body Language
 Includes facial expressions, shifts in posture and
stance, and movement of body limbs
 Understand the Body
Language of Gestures
 Hand Movements
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Warning Signals
Watch for these signs that the prospect is either
not understanding or not accepting the message:
 Rubbing the nose
 Resting the head in the hands with elbows on the
desk
 Finger under collar or
rubbing back of neck
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Proxemics
 Successful salespeople move closer to a client when
closing
 It is best to carefully test for a prospect’s comfort zone
 Comfort zones tend to change with sex, status, or age
 Four to twelve feet could be a good distance in which
to begin a sales interview
 The intimate zone should be entered only by invitation
or during a handshake
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