It might sound as a paradox, but it is true. The more options you give a prospect to choose from, the higher the chance that he will choose none of them. In psychology, this phenomenon is referred to as the „paradox of choice“ – the possibility to choose from various options sounds tempting, but in reality leads to frustration, paralysis, information overwhelm and unhappiness. Here are several tips in regards to the myths surrounding the amount of information and the number of options that salespeople give to prospects.
People do not have the time and willingness to decide
Business Insider correctly states that age we live in now is so hectic that we are forced to decide, act and think all the time. But one of the main tasks of a salesperson is to make the sales process as simple as possible, without overwhelming the prospect with information and to make the decision process easy. The question is, how?
First, you must not offer more than one, or maximum two, solutions. However, you have to keep in mind that if you are offering one solution to the client, it should be one that is the most fitting. Your role as a salesperson-consultant means that you have to discover what the clients needs, understand their overall situation and offer a tailor-made solution, the best that the tools you have available allow you.
Always ask
Here is one important piece of advice: too many business people talk too much and ask too little. The interaction with a client should consist of 20% of you talking and 80% of the prospect talking! This is why it is necessary to come up with a system to find out the client's basic parameters and offer the best possible solution as quickly and economically as possible.
False offer
If you want to make the decision process as simple as possible, you can use the so-called false offer. Let's say that during the meeting with the prospect you learn what parameters the ideal product should have and you come up with the best possible offer you're positive that the prospect should go for. To make the decision quicker, you can offer one other solution that's somewhat less desirable on purpose – it could be too expensive, or too cheap, or not precisely conform to the parameters. You give the prospect these two options, and he logically and warmly accepts the real offer. By giving the client a false sense of the ability to choose, you have the client believe that they're the one who is deciding. In the end they still get the best possible offer; it's a win-win situation.
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