Credit for this goes to Steve Potiphar; I don’t know if it’s his idea originally, but that’s where I learnt about it.

So your buyer is moving on a path that looks like a big circle. They just keep moving gradually round and round and round, each buyer at their own pace on a never-ending walk.

Part way along the circle is a sign-post “ready to buy”. If you’re lucky, when you meet your buyer, they are sat by this sign, they see what you have and grab it with both hands.

A bit before this sign, is another sign-post “thinking about buying”. If you meet your buyer here, then you’ve only got a short journey with them before they reach “ready to buy”.

After “ready to buy” is a third sign - “happy”.

And a long way after that is a fourth - “dissatisfied”.

We never know where the buyer is when we meet them. Maybe they’re happy with what they’ve got. Maybe they’re slightly disappointed, but not enough to take action. Maybe they’re desperate for a change.

There’s only so much you can do to move the buyer round the circle. Sometimes, you just can’t wait for them to reach “ready to buy”. In which case, don’t waste your time.

Take action: Draw a circle. No, only joking. Unless you really like drawing.