The Purchase Process
If I asked you how your Buyers decide to buy your product, would you automatically tell me how you sell it to them instead?
Capital Thinking • Issue #157 • View online
Cleaning out my email, I found this piece by Mark Synek and thought about those of you out there banging on doors and dialing for dollars. Mark asks a great question which I highlighted in bold print below.
Whatever your answer, the fact is that matching your sales process to that of your buyer’s purchase process is becoming more critical every day.
Which means delivering a tailored (customized) message, possessing a deep knowledge of your customer and the market space, and making very sure not to put any more obstacles than necessary in the way of your customer.
Easier said than done. :-)
Staring out the airplane window at the dark, I kept thinking about my conversation with the SVP of Sales. “Our offering is complex,” he’d said. “We have to educate customers so they understand our value prop. I need aggressive reps who aren’t afraid to control the conversation.”
Fair enough, I thought to myself. Aggressive can be good. “So how do your customers typically make a buying decision?” I asked.
“Most people don’t really know what they need. We can help them by steering them in the right direction. We try to give our presentation last when it’s a competitive deal. That way we can influence the next steps.”
I tried again. “So, how do they actually make a buying decision?”
I sensed irritation. “We educate them that we are the least-risk supplier” he said briskly. Really? I half expected him to start telling me that I needed the special clear-coat underbody rust-proofing protectant.
If I asked you how your Buyers decide to buy your product, would you automatically tell me how you sell it to them instead?
Think about it. If you’re honest, you might say yes.
A shockingly high number of sales leaders confuse how they sell to customers with how customers make decisions.
Firmly entrenched within the safety of the sales process they know so well, they have no idea if it matches the journey their Buyers are on.
*Featued post photo by Nick Dietrich on Unsplash