Most marketers don’t give a lot of thought to buying processes of their customers. That’s a shame. Lending due attention to buying process can have a dramatic effect on your sales.

What is buying process? Where does your customer fall within it? How can you use it to help bring your customer to point-of-purchase? Follow me as we take a look at decisions customers must make before deciding to buy.

Each and every one of us goes through some sort of buying process when we make a purchase. At times process is long and labored – as when buying a new computer. At other moments it happens almost without thought – when buying a box of your favorite cereal, for instance. But make no mistake… it does happen.

Generally speaking, buying process consists of five steps. Those products/services that are new to market, are new to your customer, or are very expensive will require a longer period of consideration in each phase. Products/services that are familiar, that have market longevity, or that cost very little will require a shorter (even instantaneous) process.

Step One - Need/Want Recognition

During this step, buyers realize they want or need something. They recognize that they have a problem or a desire, and they choose to find a solution. If this need or want is something along lines of lunch, buying decision can be made relatively quickly, without much thought of actual buying process. Hunger is a quick problem to solve, most options are familiar to buyers, and cost is usually low.

If need or want is a new car, however, actual buying decision can take weeks or months. There is a greater risk, new models and features come out all time, cost is high, and possibility of making a “mistake” when buying is great.

Step Two - Information Search

Ernest Hemingway rewrote last paragraph of THE SUN ALSO RISES 28 times before he got it right. David Ogilvy confessed that he'd done as many as 19 drafts on a single piece of copy before presenting it to anyone.

What we're talking about here is good writing for easy reading. Writing that doesn't puzzle stranger, but clearly conveys meaning writer intends.

It's a sweaty proposition, this rewriting, because it demands that we serve as our own critic, editor and teacher. And that means being able to spot problem areas before we can even begin revising, polishing and cutting.

Here are seven questions you must ask about your copy before you begin another round.

1. Are your sentences short enough?

Experts say that a "short" sentence is anything under 17 words. That doesn't mean you can't write longer sentences, just don't fill up pages with them. Too many long sentences slow reader down; a good mixture of sentence lengths acutally heightens interest.

2. Is your sentence structure varied?

Starting every sentence with "a" or "the" makes your writing read like "duh." Varying beginning of your sentences with nouns, adverbs and -- even an occasional conjunction -- keeps your reader from getting bored.

3. Have you been too passive?

Use active voice, instead of passive. Make it a habit. It makes your writing more direct, more energetic. And, usually, your sentences shorter.

4. Are your verbs active?