Don't Confuse Need and Timeline in Sales
I’m interested in buying two things: a car and a Surface tablet. If you ask me whether I’m sure about buying the car, I’d say, “Yes, my old car is 12 years old and is stressful to drive, and I can’t get by without a car.” If you ask when I’ll buy a new one, I’d say, “Maybe in some months. I’m not in a hurry. I may buy a 2-wheeler first, in which case the car purchase will be delayed, but I’ll need a car sooner or later, since a 2-wheeler is not a replacement for a car”.
If you ask me whether I’m sure about buying the Surface, I’d say, “I’m interested, but not committed. I don’t know if it will help me since I already have a Macbook and an iPad Pro.”
There’s uncertainty in both cases, but of a different kind: the car has a certain need but uncertain timeline. The Surface has an uncertain need. In other words, it’s a question of WHEN I’ll buy a car but a question of WHETHER I’ll buy a Surface. People sometimes confuse these two. The buying process often has uncertainty. Be clear what kind of uncertainty it is.
When I told a salesman I’ll buy a car but later, he tried to convince me that the product is good. I told him, “I already told you I’ll buy it, so you don’t need to convince me that it’s good. It’s just a question of time.” He again tried to convince me how good it is. The idea of wanting something but later couldn’t enter his brain. He reacted like he was being told that a suitcase is heavy and light at the same time.
As salespeople, we’re taught to check if a lead meets the BANT criteria. The N stands for Need, and T for Timeline. And these cover two different dimensions — both important. That’s why we don’t have BAN or BAT criteria.