When you work in sales, it's easy to fixate on closing. The moment you win a deal is exciting, but it's not necessarily the most important part of the sales process — especially if you're interested in growth.

Understanding the consumer decision-making process will help you engage your customers at every stage on their path to making a purchase.

In this guide, we'll discuss the decision-making process and how you can use it to your advantage. After all, it's about the journey, not the destination.

What are the stages of the consumer decision-making process?

While each business has its nuances, in general, the consumer decision-making process has 5 important stages:

Stage one: Problem recognition

The first stage involves the consumer recognizing a problem that a product or service might be able to fix.

This stage can be initiated in several ways. For one, the consumer may become frustrated by an issue with their workflow. Alternatively, they might hear a colleague or friend discussing a neat solution. Sometimes, the first stage is triggered by pressure from a manager to improve efficiency or drive results.

Stage two: Research

Once consumers have identified a need, they move on to gathering information.

The research stage can be as simple as the consumer Googling their problem and clicking the first link. Alternatively, it can be as complex as reading case studies from other professionals in their industry or checking with teammates about what sales tech has been tried before.

Stage three: Evaluation of alternatives

Now, a consumer makes their shortlist — selecting a few options they've uncovered during their research. That means they'll evaluate factors like their technical specifications, budget, and implementation time.

Much like stage two, the length and detail of this stage depend on your audience. Some consumers might perform multiple comparisons and trials before deciding, while others might evaluate and pick a solution straight away.

Stage four: Purchase decision

This stage often feels most important when you're in sales, but as we've made clear, it's just one step in a larger process. The decision to purchase a product is deeply connected to the previous three stages.

That said, it can also be motivated by additional factors that only come into play at this exact moment. Maybe your customers retreat from checkout after they see the extra fees. Maybe they have a particularly positive or negative experience with a salesperson.

No matter how they get here, after stage four, they should have the solution to the problem from stage one. Hopefully, that solution is your product.

Stage five: Post-purchase evaluation

If you're a believer in "fake it till you make it," this is where you'll fall short. 

Consumers can sometimes be convinced by a great advertisement or a savvy deal. But once they purchase your product the first time, it has to actually solve their problem. If it doesn't, you've lost them for good.

You want to ensure that your customers feel rewarded for going through the previous stages. You also want to keep them coming back for more.

How can you use this process to your advantage?

As you might imagine, there are countless ways you can leverage your knowledge of the consumer decision-making process to your advantage. 

Here are just a few:

Predict customer needs

The first step of the decision-making process is recognizing a problem. Want to gain a huge advantage? Recognize the problem first.

This is the core of any successful product or business — your USP or unique selling proposition. 

Get an edge over competitors

The more insight you have into your consumers' purchasing behavior, the more you can create relevant marketing campaigns.

Approach sales like your customers would — evaluate your product in comparison to others and lean into what makes your offering special. 

Be honest when you do this. Authenticity is key.

Understand your target audience

This all adds up to the same core advantage: understanding your target audience. The better you understand your audience, the easier it will be to write sales emails that people actually bother to read. 

When you approach the consumer decision-making process from the consumer's point of view, you can gain a deeper understanding of their behavior. You'll see firsthand why they might opt for a competitor and how your offering can still stand out. The more barriers you break down, the better.

Improve collaboration

When your team is well-versed in the consumer decision-making process, they'll have a common language that bridges gaps between departments.

After all, research shows that enhanced collaboration between marketing and sales is good for business. By giving everyone a clear way to talk about the process, you open up the conversation and motivate continuous collaboration.

Superhuman is the most productive email app ever made. With Shared Conversations & Team Comments, you can rapidly unblock progress, collaborate where work actually happens, and include your team wherever they are.

The bottom line

Learning the consumer decision-making process is a tangible way to improve your performance and meet your sales goals.

Try Superhuman for Sales — you'll fly through your inbox twice as fast, reply two days sooner, and save more than four hours every single week.