10 Classic Buying Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

If you’ve been using our negotiating tips, then it’s entirely likely a sale is on the horizon – so it’s important to be able to recognize it. As a salesperson, it’s important to stay tuned into the customer and what he or she may be feeling, thinking, or doing. It easy to get too caught up in delivering the perfect sales pitch or projecting energy and forget that sales is a two-way communication. It involves give and take; the exchange of information to and from both parties. Customers are constantly sending signals about what they want, what they need, and what they are thinking. And, if you just learn to pay attention, and know what buying signs to look for, these messages, both verbal and non-verbal, can make your job as sales person a whole lot easier.

Buying signals are indications the customer gives that he or she may be nearing a decision about your product or service and may be interested in making a purchase. These ready-to-buy cues, can be easy to miss if you’re too focused on what you need to say or do next. Learn some of the most common buying signs, so the next time a customer is ready to buy, you won’t miss out on the sale.

Here are 10 buying signs not to overlook:

1. Asking Lots of Questions: Never get irritated if a customer grills you with questions. If a customer asks for more information about the product, the warranty, the price, the terms and conditions, what the service includes, how delivery works, or almost anything else, they are interested. Questions are a clear buying sign, because think about it, if you were not interested in a product, what would you do? You’d probably just walk away, right? Exactly. Customers don’t ask questions just to be polite, or to annoy you. They are asking questions because they need more information to decide about your product. Once you know that, all you have to do is give them all the exciting information about your product or service that you know will make them feel great about making a purchase.
2. Focusing on One Particular Product Type: If a customer keeps hovering around a particular version of the product or keeps coming back to a particular service package, they are telling you that’s the one they would like to buy. Don’t overlook this important buying sign, and instead of spending your time trying to sell them on other versions of the product, seize the opportunity to close the deal.
3. Looking Around for Help:Customers don’t usually like being bothered while they are shopping, so a customer who is looking around for someone to help her is usually interested in buying something. This body language should be an immediate signal to you to engage with this customer.
4. Asking Another Person’s Opinion: When customers reach out to others for their opinion, they are interested in making a purchase. They may simply need reassurance that the product or service they’ve chose is the right one for them. As the sales rep, you can help build their confidence to close the deal.
5. Fiddling with their Wallet: Customers may not realize they’re doing it, but when someone is ready to buy, they may handle their wallet or touch their money. Make sure to stay cued in to this subtle, but important buying sign.
6. Handling the Product or Sales Material: When customers touch or hold the product, they are unconsciously picturing themselves owning it. This may also be true of customers who spend a lot of time holding, touching, or staring at the brochure or sales sheet. When customers are hands on, make sure you’re paying attention and are ready to help them make the purchase.
7. Nodding and Eye Contact: Customers who keep their eyes locked on you are showing that they’re comfortable with you and interested in what you’re telling them. Nodding their head shows agreement with what you’re saying. Customers who show both of these non-verbal, buying signals are demonstrating their interest in your product.
8. Parroting: If a customer repeats back anything you’ve said in your sales pitch, especially if it’s the product benefit statement, it shows they are paying attention to what you’ve been saying and they are interested in that aspect of the product or service. So, if they say, “So I can save $20 a month if I choose this package?” make sure to give them the details they’re looking for. That customer is ready to buy.
9. Making “If I had” Statements: When a customer asks rhetorical questions like, “So if I had this tablet, I could stream my show anywhere?” they have already imagined themselves owning the product. These kinds of statements are clear buying signs.
10. Showing Excitement: When customers make exclamations like “Wow!” “Really?” and “Nice!” they are not just being polite. Most customers won’t bother. They are showing genuine interest in your product or service and that is a buying sign that should not be ignored.

Listening and paying attention is just as important as saying the right things when trying to make a sale. Customers communicate a lot about how they’re feeling about the product for sales people who are willing and able to pick up their signals. Overlooking these, sometimes subtle, buying signs could mean missing out on sales and doing more work than necessary. Becoming an expert on customer behavior and learning the classic buying signals can make selling a whole lot easier by giving you valuable information about the kind of customer you’re dealing with.

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We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services located in Agoura Hills, CA. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor takes pride in having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.