Identifying Buying Signals

Filed under Sales How To, Sales Training

One of the most important skills in sales is knowing when to close. Unfortunately, overselling and underselling are very common sales mistakes. When closing, timing is crucial. To know when to close, salespeople need to be on the lookout for buying signals.

Buying signals are hints the customer gives you to let you know that he or she is interested. They are important because they help salespeople know when to close. You don’t want to rush into closing because you could undersell the customer and fail to present the benefits that will make the customer want to buy. You also don’t want to wait too long. You could oversell the customer, and he or she may lose interest. Buying signals can be very obvious, or they can be very subtle. Because buying signals can be very subtle, salespeople often miss them, and end up overselling.

So, what signal am I looking for exactly, and how can I avoid missing it? Well, there is no set signal. Every customer is different. Some customers will give obvious buying signals such as verbally telling you, “Ok, let’s do it.” Others will sit there with a poker face. To avoid missing buying signals, salespeople have to learn to read customers.

Pay close attention to the customers tone, body language, and facial expressions. Salespeople can learn a lot from these non-verbal indicators. Pay close attention to the timing of the customer’s expressions. What were you talking about when the customer leaned forward and smiled? Expressions of interest or happiness when you are talking about a product are buying signals.

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say.
I just watch what they do.” ~ Andrew Carnegie

Don’t rush to close on the first smile the customer gives you. Keep in mind that not every smile is a buying signal. Furthermore, you always want to make sure you present your strongest benefits. Cutting your sales pitch short may be a mistake. If you are too eager to close, you will end up underselling, so it may be a good idea to get 2 or 3 possible buying signals before you go in for the kill.

You could also pass up a few buying signals before you realize that they were buying signals. That is fine, but make sure that you are paying attention to avoid overselling. If you think you saw a subtle buying signal, you can always check by asking questions. Ask the customer what he or she thinks so far. That is an easy way to check for buying signals.

Another way to check for buying signals is to paint an emotional picture. Have the customer picture themselves owning or using the product. This will create some emotion, which is usually easy to notice.

For example, you are presenting product benefits to a customer, and the customer nods. Nodding is a sign of approval and could be a buying signal. However, it could also simply be a sign of understanding. At this point, you are not sure if it was a buying signal.

Then, you tell the customer the price, and you notice a surprised look on the customer’s face. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. At this point, it would be a good idea to test the waters. Ask the customer what he or she thinks of the product.

Let’s say the customer says something inconclusive like, “it’s alright.” That phrase could go either way, so you will have to pay close attention to the tone in which the customer said it. If you are still unsure, then it its time to paint a picture. You paint an emotional picture, and you catch the customer smiling. That is a definitive buying signal, and you realize that the other three were buying signals. Now it is time to close.

Selling is not an exact science. You will not close every sale, but with practice, you can get better at looking for buying signals and increase your closing ratio. For examples of buying signals, take a look at my 18 Buying Signals Examples post.