If you’ve been in the sales game for a while, you’ve probably heard of that peculiar affliction known as “buyer’s remorse.”
It’s a sudden rush that seizes a recent buyer who feels they simply have to back out of a deal.
Possibly the used car you bought doesn’t have a little convenience, maybe a jack to charge your computer on the go, and you just can’t live without one, or so you say.
You may actually think the payments are too high, after hearing what your buddy at the gym is paying for a NEW car.
What’s really going on with buyer’s remorse?
Fear is a big part of it. People who contract this ailment fear that they have made the wrong decision.
Is there any cure for it?
Tranquility might do it, but it’s not perfect. You can say, “You’ve made a great decision, you won’t regret it!” but still, keep your fingers crossed.
Is there any way to prevent it?
I’m not sure, but a very recent experience may shed some light on the question.
Cleopa, you know her, she is the wild cat that I trained and tamed. She had a litter of two beautiful kittens. Snowy was all white with a fawn tail, and Gorby was white with markings reminiscent of Mikhail Gorbachev, that ex-Soviet, now living well, I bet, anywhere outside of Russia.
Anyway, we advertised on the web to get people to adopt the kittens, and sure enough, Snowy was chosen first. The lady who claimed her was incredibly nervous, she called a bunch of times, insisted on seeing photo after photo and finally when she came she seemed really nervous and prim.
We require a payment of fifty dollars to deter abusers and weirdos from competing for these pets, but this lady was not ruled out; Unfortunately. One day after she took Snowy in, she reported that her other cat (who knew she?) had stopped eating (Snowy hadn’t!).
He wanted to return it and get his $50 back.
Of course, instead of leaving the pet in his hands, we told him yes, bring it, but a day later he said “it solved the problem”.
How, we will never know.
Should we have read the signs of cat buyer’s remorse and avoided this person?
I think so, now that I remember the sequence. These are the signs we should have seen:
(1) Some people will telegraph problems in advance. She did this by requiring a lot of confirmation before even seeing Snowy. Her nervousness should have told us that she is ambivalent.
(2) When we met her, she was unusually skittish, and didn’t really seem to be an expert on cats. I suspect she expected an instant bond and affection from the little being.
(3) Had unrealistic expectations, treating us like we were a pet store or a vet’s office.
(4) Our instincts told us that she would freak out the first time she saw a flea on kitty, that she was a perfectionist and a prickly problem.
(5) She left our place looking shocked, a little nervous.
We could, and maybe we should have said, “Wait a second. Are you sure you’re comfortable?”
Anyway, this is the signature of someone who suffers from buyer’s remorse, and whether you’re selling big cats, like Caterpillar tractors, or tiny kittens, I hope this helps you recognize them and take the right action!