AIDA is one of the earliest sales models used in professional sales training, but still valid today, so what does "AIDA" stands for?

A - Attention

I - Interest

D - Desire

A - Action

Attention – Interest – Desire – Action

First get their attention. Once you have their attention, sustain that attention by getting the other person interested. Once they are interested in you and what you have to say, then next step is to create a desire in them for what you want them to do. This is the magic stage when they take action on their desires and actually buy the product or agree to your proposals.

AIDA is a famous acronym used in the Sales & Marketing world – used to describe a model for effective selling. The acronym stands for a four stage effective selling process which comprises of four steps namely Attention,Interest, Desire and Action.

As per the AIDA model, to achieve most effective response or outcome from a sales pitch, a salesman needs to follow this four step process from attracting Attention to generating Interest to kindling Desire and finally taking the selling Action. Each of the four steps in AIDA can be understood as below :

A – Attention – This step talks about the need to be quick and agile to grab the prospective buyer’s attention. This may be done by using strong and direct advertising, powerful words, eye-catchy pictures – anything that will hold the onlooker’s attention. In this step the only objective is to convince the prospective buyer to hear you out and to let you continue the meeting / communication.

I – Interest – This step is about the salesperson engaging the customer enough to want them to know more about the product / service in question. This is a very challenging task; you’ve managed to grab the attention of the customer but will you be able to arouse interest in the product? Even though the prospective customer may not be thinking of buying the product, the salesperson needs him to want to seek more information about the product.

D – Desire – This step is all about kindling a desire in the prospective customer for the product / service being sold. This is done in conjunction with generating interest. The salesman needs to link the features of the product or service with the needs and wants of the customer so that it’s easier for the customer to see the benefits accruing out of the purchase.

A – Action – This step is about cajoling the customer into taking the final plunge (of purchasing) – the action that you have been waiting for him / her to take. This step should not be taken lightly, as many times a lot of customers back out at this last stage. So care should be taken to not assume that kindling a desire would automatically mean that the customer will make the purchase (action).