How to Sell to Busy Buyers: Earn Attention, Simplify Decisions, and Close More Sales

Many salespeople are becoming jaded about the clients that they serve. They lament that people don’t answer their phones or emails, and they delay decisions until you wonder if they ever intended to buy in the first place. It’s easy to assume people aren't interested, but the truth is that the modern buyer isn’t skeptical; they’re distracted. Today, on the Champion Forum Podcast, we are talking about the art of selling to busy people. You’ll learn how to attract your ideal client’s attention and show that you respect their time all while increasing your sales results.

The AKS: Sales Time Management Solution

Attention

One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is believing they're entitled to someone's attention. Attention has to be earned. What makes you stop scrolling? Usually, the answer is relevance. A text from an insurance agent that says, “let’s talk” is usually received with less relevance than if your partner or your parent says, “let's talk.” Most prospecting sounds the same. "I'm just checking in." "I'm following up." "I wanted to introduce myself." Nobody wakes up hoping someone checks in; they need something specific and relevant to their life.

Try leading with something specific. "I noticed..." "I saw your company recently..." "I've been working with organizations experiencing..." Being specific earns attention. One of my favorite formulas is incredibly simple. Observation. Insight. Question. It looks something like this:

Make an observation: "I noticed your company recently expanded into three new markets.

Give an insight: One challenge we've seen with organizations growing that quickly is that communication begins to break down across locations.

Ask a question: I'm curious...how are you keeping everyone aligned?"

I didn’t give a pitch or explain my product. I just showed simple curiosity about their business and the problems they are facing. Curiosity is one of the easiest ways for you to gain your prospect’s attention.

Q: Describe a time when a salesperson got your attention. What made you want to listen to them? Describe a time when you were annoyed with a salesperson. What made you feel that way? How can you eliminate that same behavior from your own sales calls?

Keep Attention

Getting attention is one thing, but keeping it is something else. I always tell sales teams that attention is rented and rent is due every minute. The fastest way to lose attention is to become a presenter. We've all sat through presentations where someone talked at us for thirty minutes. Nobody enjoys that; people enjoy conversations. That's why every sixty to ninety seconds you should be asking something.

• "What has your experience been?"

• "Does that sound familiar?"

• "Would that work in your environment?"

• "What challenges are you seeing?"

Questions pull people back into the conversation. You should spend 70% of your time exploring what your prospect needs and only 30% explaining what you sell. People care far more about their problems than your solution. 

Simplify Decision

This is where great salespeople separate themselves. Confused buyers don't buy. They delay.  They procrastinate. They say,  "Let me think about it." "I'll get back to you." "I need some time." Sometimes they're objecting, but sometimes they're simply overwhelmed. Our job isn't to explain everything; it's to make the next decision obvious. 

Instead of: "We have eight different packages."

Say: "Based on everything you've shared, here's what I'd recommend."

Instead of: "What would you like to do?"

Say: "Here's what I believe makes the most sense as your next step."

Q: What do you think makes a decision simple or complex? How can you simplify your own sales products? Where else do you think the tension is for your buyers, and how can you help resolve it?

The Three Questions

Every sales conversation should answer three questions. Why change? Why now? And why you? If those aren't crystal clear, nothing else matters. Think about the last major purchase you made. Was it because someone impressed you with everything they knew? Probably not. It was because someone made the decision easier. Your job as a salesperson is not to impress people, but to help people, remove complexity, and earn attention. If you can do those three things, you will sell more. Not because you became a better closer, but because you became easier to buy from.

Application Activity:

Brainstorm ways you can use questions to guide your sales conversations better. Memorize your questions and the situations in which you will use them so they become second nature in your sales conversations.