"Buyers are lazy!" 3 ways to combat cognitive laziness.

Let’s face it: sometimes selling to corporate buyers is like trying to show a horse that water exists—except the horse is dozing off and dreaming about something else entirely. When your solution is just one input in a loooong process, it’s nearly impossible to wave around a “quick fix” ROI, let alone keep them awake. So how do you draw the lazy horse to the water (and kindly shove its snout in)?

Welcome to the “Yes, Our ROI Isn’t Instant—But Watch This!” school of thought. Below are three provocative nudges to jolt your cognitively lazy buyers into action.

1. Manufacture Instant Proof in a Live Lab

Nothing scrambles lazy buyer brains faster than seeing your product or research in action—no hypotheticals allowed.

Case in Point: Back at MotivBase (my old stomping ground), we did the unthinkable: we herded a bunch of prospects into a room, cracked open our data on the spot, then ran a mini-hackathon. Think whiteboards, half-eaten pastries, and that unstoppable “We can build the future right now!” buzz in the air. By the end of the session, our prospects weren’t just “informed,” they were downright convinced. Deals practically closed themselves—because they saw value in real time, not in some distant “maybe we can imagine it” future.

Why It Works: Real-world engagement short-circuits buyer laziness. Instead of expecting them to connect the dots, you hand them a fully formed picture of how your solution can slot right into their workflows. Bonus points if you can deliver a quick, “Here’s the exact insight that solves your biggest headache” moment. Bam—no more snoozing.

2. Position the Buyer as the Hero of a Micro-Pilot

Many buyers can’t imagine success unless they’re the star of the show—and you’re the scriptwriter who makes them look brilliant. So spin up a small, VIP-style pilot that turns them (or their select team) into the intrepid explorers testing your solution in a “highly exclusive” environment.

Case in Point: A founder in healthcare, offering mental wellness solutions, corralled a few company execs into a 90-day trial. They self-reported improvements in mood, productivity, and anti-crabbiness (unofficial measure). Better yet, the founder documented everything in a content mini-series. Suddenly these execs were heroes with an actual storyline to share—how they bravely conquered stress and found their zen at work. Puts your standard PDF ROI report to shame.

Why It Works: When you star buyers in your proof-of-concept, ROI becomes a personal triumph they can’t wait to broadcast. Suddenly, the CFO’s “We need logical data in triplicate” transforms into “See how we’re innovating!” The difference? You gave them a storyline they want to champion—something with real humans, not just a spreadsheet.

3. Reshape “ROI” Into the Thing They Can’t Live Without

The real reason buyers laze about on an unproven solution? They can’t feel the burn. ROI is a nice acronym but doesn’t always set their heart racing—especially when results are six months down the line. So dig deeper. What’s the bigger story they’re trying to tell internally? A brand-new workflow that accelerates product launches? A bold move that gets them (finally!) recognized as an innovator?

Case in Point: At MotivBase, we discovered our clients didn’t really care about “productivity metrics” in isolation. They needed street cred with senior leadership. So our data turned into an “innovation weapon” that made them look brilliant in board meetings. Guess who latched onto that storyline and never let go?

Why It Works: If you define ROI by immediate career wins instead of intangible “some day” benefits, it triggers that “I need this right now” rush. You’re hooking into emotional drivers—status, recognition, competition—that good old rational analysis can never quite match.

The Bottom Line: No More Lazy Horses

When your solution requires imagination—but your buyers have the collective attention span of a sleepy farm animal—give them immediate proof, star them in the show, and reshape ROI into something they can feel today (rather than 12 months from now). Bring the water right under their nose, let them taste it. They’ll slurp it up faster than you can say “purchase order.”

Sarcasm aside, these nudges actually rewire your buyers’ brains to overcome cognitive inertia. And once they’ve had a sip, they’ll wonder why they ever hesitated in the first place.

Time to saddle up and ride into your next closing call, confident your cognitively lazy buyer just woke up. Yee-haw! [sorry but I had to]

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