Businesswise, fear is of great importance to a salesperson. All people (including customers) have an in-depth fear of something, e.g. failure, lack of money, loss of control, or unexpected events. Similar fears are then often one of the motivations why a client is interested in a new/additional product. You can use this fear quite efficiently, if you know how.
Detecting fear
According to a LinkedIn Pulse article, salespeople often look for positive motivations. For instance, „I want a new computer because it will be fast, dependable, and I will be able to do my work better.“ From a sales point of view, however, it is more effective to use what clients fear, for instance „I'm afraid my old computer will break down and I'll lose my data as well as my ability to work.“ Detecting these fears might be difficult sometimes, but the requests clients have might help you. When buying a car, is the client asking about crumple zones and safety features? It is likely that they are afraid what will happen to them in case of a collision.
Making use of fears
Once you detect the customer's real fears (in some cases you can even ask them directly), determine which have high priority, and use them to your advantage. Offer a product that offers answers to their fears, and make this the number one feature of the product. Remember that solving a fear is always more important to the client than any added value.
Don't overdo it
Use the client's fear only to an acceptable degree. Don't try to petrify them or sow apocalyptic visions. It's only business after all.
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