agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Your Clients Have Decision Fatigue, You Caused It and It's Killing Sales

August 15, 2018
4 min to read


Prisoners up for parole have the highest likelihood of being released based on one surprising factor, reports Entrepreneur. It has nothing to do with the potential parolee’s ethnicity, behavior, length of sentence or severity of crime. It has nothing to do with the prisoner at all and everything to do with the time of day they appear before the board. The phenomenon, explained in detail in this "New York Times" article shows that early in the day, people have an easier time making decisions, while later in the day, they delay them due to what’s known as decision fatigue. That means parolees with the earliest appointments are most likely to find their way to freedom.


Here’s the kicker savvy salespeople must recognize: information overload is making potential buyers tired and possibly delaying their purchase or commitment.

Ad Loading...


To take pressure off potential customers:

1. Step away from the eblasts.

It feels so helpful and supportive to send loads of relevant information to potential buyers. But without a clear, intentional strategy, it can be more like throwing a strand of spaghetti against the wall in the hopes that just the right listing will land at just the right time. The last thing your buyers want -- the last thing any of us want --is One More Email.


Unless.


There is a big unless here. A well-developed and strategized campaign, customized for each recipient can make sure that spaghetti strand lands more often and unsubscribe rates stay low. Plan your campaigns ahead of time and test your strategies. So at least until your strategy is clear and you have systems in place to test results, step away from the eblasts.

2. Sell freedom first.

What buyers want more than anything else is a better life. That may be packaged in a new home, a robotic vacuum that gives them more time, or a shorter to-do list. Customers may ask for certain things, but what they want more than any of the stuff they’re asking for, is just to be done with it. So instead of getting them more to do items (or cluttering their inbox, as above), always aim to clear their inbox and take something off of their plates. Take pressure off by being an adviser.

Ad Loading...


To whatever extent possible in your field, learn every detail of what a buyer wants and personally present only the most appropriate solutions. That way, buyers don’t feel burdened or overwhelmed by choices. Like the parole board who is tired and procrastinates because they don’t want to risk sending the wrong person back into society, buyers will procrastinate too.

3. Remove obstacles.

Apple has made it remarkably easy to spend loads of money at their stores. You can walk out with a $2,500 computer in under eight minutes. I know this because I’ve done it. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Nordstrom Rack. I made it through the mountains of clothes and after spending way too long trying everything on, I even found a whole shopping cart I was ready to buy. But then the line. Dear God, the line. It was just so long and I couldn’t handle it. I was no longer willing to endure all the hoops they were making me go through to give them my money. I abandoned my overloaded cart and they lost what could have been a $2,000 sale. If they had taken a simple lesson from Apple or even Chick-Fil-A, they would’ve had two to three clerks with square readers walking down the line and checking everyone out in 10 minutes. They made it too hard for me. People work to make money so they can buy things to improve their lives. The last thing they want to do is work to spend money.


Details lead to decision fatigue and decision fatigue kills sales. Don’t give buyers another item on their to-do list or another email in their inbox. Instead, take on the role of an adviser and take everything you possibly can off potential customers’ plates. Cut through the decision fatigue and make it easy, easy, easy for buyers to buy.

Topics:Training
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Training

Businessman signing document with pen
Training•October 1, 2026

Turning Regulatory Pressure Into Profitable Performance

A compliance-first F&I Strategy for today's auto dealer is essential given recent enforcement actions on the state and federal level. Here’s how to help your dealer-clients establish it.

Read More →
Empty classroom with lecturn, chairs and video proejction screen
Training•by Rick McCormick•September 16, 2026

Major Shifts in F&I Training

General agents must help F&I managers rise to the occasion of the modern consumer, who has very different expectations in order to relax into trust.

Read More →
Photo of financial documents with a magnifying glass, calculator and pen on top
Training•by Hannah Mitchell•August 31, 2026

Be a Compliance Hero

Agents can steer their dealer clients toward proper advertising practices, including regular audits, to help keep them on the straight and narrow in a period of elevated regulation.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of man signing document with a blue pen
Training•by Gil Van Over•July 28, 2026

Leasing Is Picking Up. What About Disclosures?

Agents and dealers must ensure proper documentation of lease costs and funding and end the practice of wedging lease orders into buyer’s orders — or ignoring them.

Read More →
'CHANGES' spelled out in two-dimensional letters on a concrete-like surface
Training•by David R. Ibarra•July 8, 2026

Manage Change, or It Will Manage You

Two retail tales from the pandemic paint a stark contrast in the wise approach and the defensive move that will undercut success rather than build on it.

Read More →
Marble statue holding hands to face.
Training•by Justin B. Gasman•June 5, 2026

Train the Mind, Grow the Department

Agents who want to create real value must do more than bring coverage options. They must help dealers build stronger thinking, better habits and better results.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of a stack of folded newspapers on a table
Training•by Gil Van Over•May 7, 2026

Headlines Can Be Deceiving

Warning letters the FTC sent to dealers suspected of deceptive pricing have retailers and the agents who counsel them on edge. Read past the headlines to get and stay compliant.

Read More →
Photo of mechanic wiping his hands on a rag
Training•by Hannah Mitchell•March 12, 2026

Service Drive Satisfaction Up

Auto dealerships have a ways to go, though, on many basic points, along with some new consumer expectations that would boost their competitiveness if fulfilled.

Read More →
Photo of man's hand holding a pen above a piece of paper on a desk
Training•by Rick McCormick•March 11, 2026

Agents Bring the Message and the Focus

The most predictable profit in today's unpredictable automotive retail market is a dealership’s finance-and-insurance department.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Training•February 19, 2026

Policy Responses to Data Breaches

The recent 700Credit cyberattack is a wake-up call for agents and dealers. Review disclosures and tighten vendor oversight to maintain compliance and preserve customer trust.

Read More →
Ad Loading...