Ankura, Ancor, Or Something Else?

The ancient Greeks called it “Ankura”. The English used the term “Ancor”. You’ve probably come to know the word as “Anchor”. The Greeks made anchors by filling baskets with stones and dropping them overboard. The English used heavy metal objects to hold their ships in place. But, as with everything else, anchors evolved.

There came to be the Fluked … Grapnel and Herreshoff anchors. Then there were Plough … Delta … and Danforth anchors. But no matter how much anchors have evolved, or what they were called, they all served the original purpose … “Hold The Ship In Place”. Which leads me to a question.

What do you do to “Hold your customer’s thoughts” in place?

Based on today’s marketplace and today’s customer, a question worth your consideration. But let me start at the beginning with another question.

When customers look at the price of your product, how will they know if it is fair or unfair? An easy answer … and one you already know. At some point, normally early on, your customer is going to have to decide if you’re worth further investigation. And after that, decide how you compare with all of her other available alternatives. Here’s where it gets interesting.

Research shows that when faced with this situation, customers will contrast price with “something else”. And that “something else”, more times than not, ends up being what’s included. A sales scenario you occasionally win … but well over 90% of the time lose. So, what’s to do? Some interesting research can point the way.

Researchers that have studied the “Anchor Point” as far as brain behavior, come to one conclusion:

“The ‘Anchor’ that a customer uses as for comparison is critical and highly influential when they ultimately make a ‘Buy/No-Buy’ decision.”

And there’s more.

Research further shows that when the brain is introduced to an “Anchor Point”, it forms a bias regarding all information and comparisons that follow. Knowing that, YOU have a decision to make:

• Would it be easier to “Sell” your customer on your solution … hoping they move forward to purchase your home (home/community/ lifestyle)?
• Or would it be easier to “Sell” your customer on creating an Anchor Point (their definition of value) … and then using it to compare and evaluate which alternative represents the “Most Perfect” decision they can make?

One alternative is based on first discovering your customer’s needs and the current problems they need to solve … Next, presenting your solution … And finally, trying to get them to purchase. A “Sales-Based” process all the way. And the number one “Sin” as far as selling high-ticket products.

Your second alternative is to first help your customers create an Anchor Point which defines what a “Most Perfect” Decision means to them … Next, showing them how to use to use their definition of a “Most Perfect” Decision to compare and evaluate … And finally offering your advice based on their definition of value and their evaluation of how well everything matches.

If you help your customer create an “Anchor Point” for comparisons, you’ll be well on the way to helping them make the “Most Perfect” decision they can make.