People don’t buy based on facts; they buy based on emotion. Help them figure out what “feels right” and you’ll make the sale.

A few years back, a colleague was in the market for a new car. Before ever setting foot in a dealership, he cozied up to his laptop and did his homework online. I watched him compare makes, years and models. He looked up safety records and stayed up late reading online testimonials – and rants – about the cars he was considering purchasing.

Armed with two weeks of research, he finally stopped by our local dealerships to test drive three models. Two of the cars he was considering were close in price range and had received the highest safety reviews – an important feature to both he and his wife. The third represented a significant price hike but made the short list because the reviews were decent and, as he told me, he had always felt drawn to this particular model.

Bottom line, although he liked all three cars, the car he drove off the lot and parked in his driveway was the more expensive model with (ahem!) a few extra bells and whistles thrown in.

What happened? My co-worker has been in sales most of his life and, I can assure you, didn't fall prey to the bedazzling selling power of his salesperson. His vehicle of choice was the least safe of the three cars under consideration and cost more.

Logically, that's not the car my rational and level-headed colleague should have ended up with (he didn't think so either). He had been so sure that wasn't the car for him that, he told me, he had assured his wife that there was almost no chance he would pick that car.

My co-worker didn't make his purchase based on fact. He made it based on emotion. When he slid behind the wheel, something about that car just felt right. But as a savvy businessman, he was unlikely to toss away hard-earned cash on something that just “felt right.” So he did what any business-minded person would do: He justified his decision.

His rationale included the following:

• “My car purchases are few and far between. It makes sense for me to get something I'm happy with versus something with which I feel I'm settling.”
• “While the car didn't receive the highest safety ratings, its ratings were more than respectable. I certainly wasn't putting my family in any danger.”
• “My wife and I had spent years focusing on our now-almost-grown children. It was time to spend a little of our money on us.”

Whether or not those arguments are valid doesn't matter. The point is that whether it's a house, a car, a grill or laundry detergent, we each make our purchase decisions based on emotion first, and then use the facts at our disposal to justify an emotional decision.

Why does this matter to you? Because knowing how to create an emotional connection between your customer and a grill is what will bring you your next sale. Consumers can get facts online. They may think they're walking in your door to make a rational purchase, but they're really there to see what feels right. Otherwise they could just order online whichever grill logically makes the most sense.

Train your staff to ask questions, but more importantly, train them to listen. The salesman who sold my colleague his car was very good in that he stayed quiet and allowed my friend to sell himself on the idea. The salesman would occasionally ask questions such as, “Do you tend to buy a car and stick with it, or change your car out every year?” or “What made you originally consider this model?” Those were subtle reminders that the car was on my co-worker's short list because he had always pictured himself in it. It was also a reinforcement of my friend's own unvoiced belief that since he didn't trade out cars frequently, he should pay the money to get something he really wanted.

“What made you decide it was time for a new grill?” “What do you enjoy most about grilling?” Questions that engage the emotions will do far more than a salesperson standing by a grill and spouting off Btus and warranty information.

Emotion first. Facts second.

Keep Grilling,
Rob