The Thrill of a Successful Sale

Everything went right.

You did your job well; you presented the ideal solution that will help that prospective customer get to a better place in their life/business.

They were clear on what they wanted help with, and you delivered on that.

They signed on the dotted line (if that’s still a thing) and paid or committed to paying the invoice.

You celebrated the successful closed sale. Maybe you rang a bell, or hit the gong, or got high fives, or just cheered yourself on in your mind.

The Crushing Blow: Buyer’s Remorse

Then you get the call/email/message.

They changed their mind. After thinking about it, they decided that it wasn’t what they wanted.

They would like to cancel, bring it back, get a refund, avoid the pending invoice, etc.

Whatever that looks like for you and your company.

They want to undo what was done.

They want to unring the sales bell.

And in that moment, when you the salesperson finds out your sale wants to un-buy can be mentally devastating. It can feel soul crushing, and it has the potential of ruining any momentum and focus that you had.

Especially when you start to think about the financial ramifications of that person canceling.

Why Does Buyer’s Remorse Happen?

But why does this happen? What leads to buyer’s remorse? (which can be even more frustrating when it seemed like the perfect fit/purchase.)

It all comes down to fear of the unknown as well as our primal human instinct to avoid doing anything that will negatively affect our status in the tribe (work, family, friends, society at large, etc.).

Buying something new = the unknown. Which is scary for the survival-focused part of our brain.

When the momentum, excitement, and or magic of the sales conversation wears off, and your new customer has time to think their mind will start to focus on those fears. People’s fear response will kick in, if they don’t have the needed tools to fight it. They will go into fight, flight, or freeze mode.

That’s when you get the call, find the voicemail or email, or get that message that they have changed their mind.

Their Fear > Their Hope for a different/better future.

The known is safer than the unknown.

You lose your sale.

They stay stuck.

How to Mitigate Buyer’s Remorse

Now – there is a way to help mitigate buyer’s remorse. I don’t want to make this whole article a doom and gloom reflection of what you already get frustrated with.

But it is important to understand where buyer’s remorse comes from.

So – what can you do? The first thing is to call it out. Fear likes to hide in the shadows. When you label that fear and warn your prospect of what will happen, it makes a big difference.

Towards the end of your sales conversation, you will want to bring up buyer’s remorse.

This might seem strange, and most weak salespeople don’t want to say or do anything that might feel like they are planting a seed for a cancelation/return.

If you did your job throughout, you have nothing to fear.

Prepare Them for Doubts

Tell your new customer that they will most likely experience some buyer’s remorse. It happens to everyone. The brain starts to wonder, question, doubt. That’s normal.

And then – here is the key – remind them of WHY they are buying this product/service, and WHY it matters to them, and WHY it will help them get to where they want to be in life/business.

That way they can focus on that when the doubt and fear kicks in.

Follow Up Proactively

Lastly, tell them you will call in 24-48 hours. To check in. To remind them of their WHY. To help them feel great about their decision.

If you want to keep more of your sales closed then you must take a proactive approach to mitigating buyer’s remorse. Because either you beat buyer’s remorse to the punch, or it punches your deal right in the face.