Well, isn’t this the million dollar question… Let’s just do this…write down three things (big or small items) you have purchased in recent memory.  Then, right down the real reasons you bought those exact items as best as you can remember at the moment you closed yourself (please note, you ALWAYS close yourself, nobody else ever does, because you make the final decision). Here’s my random little list, that I haven’t even thought about until this very moment: – One piece insulated winter coveralls for extreme weather walking: They caught my eye, my son noticed me looking, he pressured me to try them on, the price seemed fair, I then suggested a matching one for him, I did no research, sales person was my son, primary emotion was love for him; under $500 in 25 mins. – Condo: I was working with my husband/wife real estate agent friends, who graciously showed me so many units over several weeks that I was forgetting what I had looked at, I was getting “analysis to the point of paralysis”, did too much research, was becoming more confused and anxious, I started to feel guilty and awkward for taking up so much of their time, I loved the location, building and view, not crazy about the floors or kitchen, primary emotion was exhaustion;  deep six figures over several weeks. – Suits: I went to my friendly suit guy, had two suits, two shirts, two ties, two belts ordered and made, let him tell me what to buy because he knows what I have in my closet better than me, did a bit of looking around his store to get a feel for for “what’s in” right now, I decided to buy when I drove there, did no research as I trust that he does it for me, he threw in some cuff links because “he likes me”, primary emotion was pride; over $2K in 10 mins. What’s the point?  I don’t know actually…ha.  In reviewing those examples, I’m looking for patterns to try to understand myself and why buyers buy what they buy and where. There are so many random reasons, what I did just notice is that the prices seemed fair and reasonable, but I did not know they were the BEST PRICE. What I also know is that the sales person can’t afford to make a mistake at the final moment and risk having the customer unwind themselves, and it never hurts to have a good relationship with them and the people they bring in with them.  The one commonality I just noticed was that I was either trying to please, reward or impress somebody else besides myself, and that the dollar amount didn’t really seem to change that, nor did the amount of time I spent shopping for it.  This actually surprises me as I consider myself a very independent person in almost every way. Do this exercise yourself and find out what you learn about yourself and average buyers…and remember, your sales process is something you do for your buyer and not to your buyer.  They will close themselves once they (with our help) have enough logical and emotional reasons.