![\"Rural](\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-w6POT-ayQzg\/UMTs5Y5QRvI\/AAAAAAAAEp8\/V8i4z89lojQ\/s200\/glenn+informal.JPG\")
Rural small business expert Glenn Muske<\/p><\/div>\n
However, business owners also must understand that for each person, the behaviors are not\u00a0linear but may occur in at different times in the process. Plus, each person\u00a0gives them a different priority. Understand also that the same person will modify the process,\u00a0depending on the item being purchased (a house versus groceries, for example), time available,\u00a0income level and a whole host of other variables.<\/p>\n
Seventy-three percent of consumers today consider the buying decision to be more complex and\u00a0less direct than in the past.<\/p>\n
The key for the small-business owner is helping the customer through the process. That starts\u00a0with knowing the six behaviors:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Awareness<\/strong> \u2013 Are your products, services or brands on the consumer\u2019s radar?<\/li>\n
- Want or need<\/strong> \u2013 What is driving the consumer to think about purchasing the item?\u00a0Business owners must understand that needs are a stronger motivator.<\/li>\n
- Background information<\/strong> \u2013 What kind of information do consumers need as they begin\u00a0considering the purchase?<\/li>\n
- Situational awareness<\/strong> \u2013 What information are the consumers picking up from\u00a0environmental stimuli? Are they an innovator or more of a mainstream shopper?<\/li>\n
- In-depth research<\/strong> \u2013 For some products, the background information may be all a buyer\u00a0requires. Yet for other purchases, consumers will need to consider all the options, find\u00a0deal, and study reviews and testimonials before making a decision.<\/li>\n
- Post-purchase evaluation<\/strong> \u2013 How does the purchase influence the customer\u2019s next\u00a0interaction with that store, a brand or a specific item? How did post-purchase support\u00a0influence the overall feelings toward a repeat purchase or providing one\u2019s own review?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Consumers will use a variety of resources in each behavior. And what is important to remember is that each consumer has a different\u00a0preferred method of learning and gathering information.<\/p>\n
For example, today some will use online resources entirely while others prefer written\u00a0information. Likewise you have those who want the information\u00a0presented in a visual or video format.<\/p>\n
Small-business owners must understand the buying process and where their products and\u00a0services fit. The owner must understand that the process will vary among people. Finally, the\u00a0owner must have thought of the common questions customers will have and the resources they\u2019ll\u00a0need in their decision-making process.<\/p>\n
The more the owner can assist the consumer in the process, the higher the level of trust the\u00a0customer will have and the greater the chance of a sale and probability of repeat sales.<\/p>\n
Joining groups such as your local chamber of commerce can be helpful, too. The Small Business\u00a0Administration and its related organizations, such as the Small Business Development Centers\u00a0and Service Corps of Retired Executives, also can be valuable resources.<\/p>\n
Glenn Muske is the\u00a0Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development Specialist at the\u00a0North Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality<\/a>. Follow Glenn on Twitter: @gmuske<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What makes us make a purchase? The answer is not entirely clear.\u00a0Yet we do know that six behaviors are part of the buying decision process. Knowing the behaviors is a good first step in helping small-business\u00a0owners develop a business strategy. However, business owners also must understand that for each person, the behaviors are not\u00a0linear but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3818"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3818"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6883,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3818\/revisions\/6883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Want or need<\/strong> \u2013 What is driving the consumer to think about purchasing the item?\u00a0Business owners must understand that needs are a stronger motivator.<\/li>\n