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Advantage Travel Partnership hosted four one-day workshops in November with Future Sales Factory, focusing on ancillary sales. Katherine Lawrey shares insights from the London workshop.
Sales is not a dark art, said Matthew Quinn, managing director, Future Sales Factory. “There’s no smoke and mirrors involved – it is just two human beings speaking to each other, no matter where the client comes from, or what you do with them next. The reason we’re bad at it is we don’t like the word ‘sales’. Pushy sale people aren’t sales people, they’re bullies. It’s not about the deal, it’s about the chat, the interaction and the story, and that’s why I love selling. I find out some wonderful things about my clients – because I ask the questions.”
There are just six reasons why people buy anything, a theory endorsed by Quinn. Everyone has between one and three of these motivations, he said, and you buy everything you buy for the same subconscious reason(s). People also sell for the same reasons they buy, so the likelihood of a sales person encountering a buyer with the same motivations is vast.
The six buyer motivations are covered by the mnemonic, SHAPER. Find out what buyers’ motivations are by asking the right questions, and adapt your sales presentation accordingly. Non-pushy sales people spend time understanding these motivations, said Quinn.
S Safety buyer They like to buy in their comfort zone. They have a trust in a product, a brand or a shop. It’s a logical decision that comes from the head.
H Honour buyer They like to buy with their heart. They follow a brand but will be unspecific about why they like it. It’s an emotional connection, which inspires a feeling of happiness.
A Advancement buyer buyer They want to be the first to acquire something. They are the early adopters.
P Protection buyer This is the buyer who wants to know they are covered if something goes wrong. As such, 24-hour assistance is the first thing you should highlight for them.
E Economy buyer Price is a determining factor but this does not necessarily mean the cheapest. They look for return on investment and want the best deal.
R Relationship buyer They buy from people. They will stick with the same person, and they will heartily recommend sellers. |
To prove his point, Quinn asked travel agent Stephanie Milam from Baldwins Travel to describe a recent purchase she had made. She told him and the group how she changed her car every three years, and she had just ordered a new Vauxhall from a dealership 100 yards from her workplace. She explained how a previous car salesman she had dealt with was no longer there, so she visited another dealership, but returned to the original dealership for the better deal, and ordered the car, which will be delivered in March.
After spending 20 minutes engaging Milam in chat, Quinn concluded she was a safety buyer [because she valued Vauxhall for reliability] and an economy buyer [because she sought the best deal].
Initially he had wondered whether she was a relationship buyer, but he later ruled that out. “On a basic level I got her motivation wrong, because I assumed she was a relationship buyer. That’s why investigating the story is so important, because the comment about the previous dealer having moved on turned out to be a red herring that didn’t affect her purchase.”
He said she was definitely not a protection buyer, because when he posed the question “would she be upset if the delivery date of the car was delayed?” Milam was non-plussed. And neither was she an advancement buyer, because she showed no interest in the car’s non-essential gadgets, such as sat nav or music features.
Quinn went on to explain that he was a protection buyer. “I go apoplectic with rage when things go wrong. I would want the dealership to ring me, and say the car is going to be late, but this is what we’re going to do about it. If you know a protection buyer, you have to help them, or they will go elsewhere next time.”
He’s also a relationship buyer, he said, telling the group how he always uses the same travel management company, because it is run by a former colleague he knew in the army. “I have a bond with him,” he said. “I’m not going to save 10% on my travel, and let him down.”
This same business travel agent also meets his needs as a protection buyer. “I once turned up at the wrong airport and missed my flight home. One call to him, and he booked me a hotel, extended my car parking, rebooked my flight the next day, and even called my wife! He did everything he could to help me.”
