In this short episode, Lance Tyson breaks down the key buying signals that indicate a deal is ready to move forward. From verbal cues to behavioral patterns, we’ll show you how to spot, interpret, and chase these signals effectively. Learn how to engage buyers at the right moment, avoid missed opportunities, and turn interest into closed deals. If you’re looking to sharpen your ability to recognize and act on buyer intent, this episode is a must-listen!
Lance is the bestselling author of Selling Is An Away Game and The Human Sales Factor. You can purchase these books at Tyson Group.
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Reading The Signs: Spotting Buying Signals That Close Deals
Understanding Buying And Warning Signals
Think about this for a second. There are three concepts that are in selling, and most people don’t have a strong conviction of what they are. There are buying signals, something you observe that could be a buying signal. Luke says, “I notice buying signals. When I do, I chase.” I go, “Correct, Luke, at some level.” Anybody here have dogs? Anna, you're shaking your head immediately. What kind of dog you got?
A purebred Beagle.
I got a Beagle. We have a lot in common. I got a purple dog and a Beagle. The Beagle has some energy.
Some energy and stubbornness.
That’s another spirit animal right there, so is mine. I don’t know if anybody has a dog like this or ever observed a dog where you have a tennis ball in your hand, fake throw it, and the dog takes it halfway across the field but you still have it in your hand. What you can’t do with some leads is chase a fake thrown ball. You’ve got to be able to observe a real buying signal, which then flips over to say, “I’ve got to know what a warning signal is in a sale.”
They come with definitions so I’m going to go over them in a second. If you know the difference between those two and how to address it, you’ve got to know what a buying objection is. There are categories of different things. If you get anything from me at all, it’s these definitions. If I was physically sitting across from Adam, crossing my arms like that, would you say it’s a buying signal or a warning signal?
Warning.
I could just be cold. If I was sitting across from Adam and I was going like this, or you’re on a Zoom call and going like this, what would you say that is?
Buying. The gears are turning.
Could be interested. Could be gone. I need shade. At this point, we’ve got to be careful of being these pundits on TV when somebody gives a speech and we’re going, “Somebody’s delivery means blah, blah, blah.” It’s a freaking guess. All you guys can do is guess. We all have contribution bias in sales. Contribution bias is when we look for the factors that make our case. The contributing factors that make your case. That’s what you look for. You should, at some level.
A buying signal is anything the buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate a level of interest. I’ll say it again because it's the opposite. It’s anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate interest. I’ve had salespeople that do a presentation. Let’s say I’m presenting to Baker and he doesn’t have any questions. He’s like, “It sounds pretty good.” I could say they’re buying signals but on the flip side, your other side should say, “He had no questions. He’s just being nice.” You’ve got to find a way to test those things.
You would all agree if you’re talking to somebody on the phone that this makes it exponentially harder. Yes or no? If you’re doing this and you can’t see anybody or you’re not face to face, it’s exponentially harder. Let’s go to a warning signal. What’s a warning signal? It’s the opposite. It’s anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate disinterest. They’re fair definitions. It’s easy to follow. How do you remedy?
Asking Questions That Solicit Opinions
The only way to remedy this is to ask a question that would solicit an opinion. That’s your only move. You have no other move. Think of it like a hypodermic needle. You’re inputting something or extracting something. That’s all trial closes. Everybody thinks this trial closes is this big spot in the sale. No. A trial close is a question that solicits an opinion. Too many times, we get so caught up in pitching that we don’t solicit opinions.
Say I’m talking to Luke and we’ll go with Adam’s example. Say I’m pitching these club seats and Luke’s acting like he’s interested. “Luke, on a scale from 1 to 7, how interested are you in this new club level?” Secondly, “Why would you do it? Why wouldn’t you do it?” I would ask a fully baked question like that because I would want to see where he goes.
Number one, I’d ask a question 1 to 7 because statistically, somebody won’t pick a middle number if you go up to 7. We have a data person who works with us on our team and says if you want the real stats, go 1 to 7, not 1 to 5. For some reason, when you go as high as seven, nobody picks a middle number. I also said, “Why would you do it? Why wouldn’t you do it?” However Luke would answer that question, chances are Luke will go positive before he goes negative.
Remember, two of you said, “I keep following up with somebody until they say no or stop calling me.” Let’s look at the behavior that’s pretty consistent across the board. Most people would rather not deliver bad news to you. It's easier to ignore you and make you go away. If you ask the Rocks team, 9 times out of 10, when they pitch, somebody will say to them, "Great presentation." They'll go, "Great presentation. That's the kiss of death. Do you know why? Who says your presentation sucked? Nobody." They’re always going to say you had a great presentation. You’ve got to reverse and say, "What are some things that concern you?" You’ve got to go the opposite with it.
Let’s see if they answer 1 to 7. Let’s see what they like. If they say what they like, I can immediately flip it over and go, "What are some of your concerns?" If they start with some of the concerns, I can attack it. What’s probably happening with some of you, I’m not saying all the time and I’m not saying you don’t think about this, but sometimes you don’t go there because you'd rather not go to the friction. Nobody gravitates to friction.
If you go back to Adam’s example, when people are going to make a decision on committing to you for 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years for clubs, they’re going to do a pros and cons list in their head. “Here are all the reasons I should. Here are all the reasons I shouldn’t. That’s where you have to get their opinion.” That’s how people make decisions ultimately. You all make decisions that way. “Why should I do it? Why shouldn’t I do it?” Plus, minus, pros, cons. It’s like a weighted thing.
Episode Wrap-Up And Discussion Summary
I’m talking about what’s obvious to you but the magic is how do you facilitate a conversation that gets buying and warning signals or an objection? The last definition is a buying objection. Remember, a buying objection only comes after you pitch something. I’m going to go over these concepts ten times with you. This will be the first time of multiple times you know this. I’m just talking to you. I’m not even training you. We’re just talking.
A buying objection is anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that hesitates them from moving forward with the sale. You only technically get a buying objection after you pitch something. Anything prior to that is a put-off. They can only object to something they can buy if you’ve never pitched something they can’t object. You’ve got to think about it.
Buyers can only object to something they can buy if you have never pitched something they cannot object to.
We’re talking about very tactical things here. We’re talking about your brutal truths, follow-up, getting out objections, adjusting to what they want versus what we assume they want, and weighing out leads. Who’s worth following? Who’s not? That’s a hard decision because you could miss, and we have. It’s all those time management things. How do you create a little constructive tension sometimes into a sale? Not that you become a jerk or anything because we don’t want you to be that. We want you to have good people skills and good manners. Ultimately, we want to have a decent relationship with the people we do business with.
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