RSSWhy Do We Blame Buyers?
Feb 19, 2010 Sales Related
I once told a group that I was going to title a book I’d Close More Sales if it Weren’t for the Buyer. I got a standing ovation! And I assumed I’d get a laugh. That’s like saying ‘I would have had a better birth experience if it weren’t for my mother.’
Why do we assume buyers are, um, stupid? Because it’s obvious to us they should buy. From where we stand, it seems we have THE perfect fit – the right solution at the right price, filling the right need, and the right relationship.
But we consistently forget that a buyer’s problem is not an isolated event, and it sits within the buyer’s environment – their system, if you will – all mashed up with a bunch of unknown and unknowable other elements that not only hold it in place, but maintain it daily.
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Tags: buyers, Dirty Little Secrets, managers, needs, pitching, prospects, sales, solutions, systems
Buying Facilitation®: what is it? and how is it different from sales?
Jan 11, 2010 Buying Facilitation®
I’m so pleased that my trademarked model Buying Facilitation® is getting acceptance in the sales field. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce folks to my definition of it, to ensure that when they use the term they don’t confuse it with sales.
Here is the definition, how it differs from sales, and why we get such different results when we use it.
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Tags: buyers, Buying Facilitation®, Decision Facilitation, model
Overcoming the Stall: what takes buyers so long to buy?
Nov 24, 2009 Sales Related
Are your sales taking too long to close? Do you know why?
Is it you? Is it your prospect? Is it your product?
And what would you need to do differently in order to close more quickly?
One of the biggest problems I hear sellers complain about is that it takes so long for buyers to finally buy. After all, you have a great product, you are a professional, you understand your prospect’s needs, and spend time on prospects who fit the profile. But for some reasons, too many sales stall. What is going on?
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Tags: buyers, buying decision team, policies, problem, stall
Why being terrific isn’t good enough to make a sale
Nov 10, 2009 Sales Related
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I have begun searching for a couple of new vendors, and am becoming painfully aware of how many people think that because they are good, that’s all I need to know. Even when a couple of the folks tried to gather data from me, I felt resentful because either they should have read it on one of my sites, or they were gathering data I wasn’t prepared to give them since they were strangers. One even started the conversation by asking me how I was going to make my decision (I admit that I smiled here. Obviously my work is now ubiquitous and the guy’s boss told him to ‘find out.’ But he had no idea what he was asking for or how to do it.)
The Arrogance of Sales
Nov 2, 2009 Sales Related, Top Posts
Sales professionals face a lot of failure. You work very hard to discover plausible opportunities, understand needs, respect and care for prospects, and position your products so prospects recognize how your solution manages their need. You are good. You are professional. You are conscientious. Yet you only close a fraction of your sales; you seem to have no idea who to spend time on, who to let go, who will be able to buy, or who will have no ability to buy (even though they act like prospects), regardless of the fit between their need and your solution.
You end up wasting a lot of time, being annoyed, and facing far too much rejection. Where do seemingly appropriate prospects go? How can they choose a different vendor after all you’ve done for them? How can they take so long when it’s so obvious what the answer should be? Why do people treat you so badly when you really want to serve them?
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Tags: arrogance, buyers, Buying Decision Teams, failure, prospects, rejection, sales, solution, vendors
What do Sellers Need to Understand – and When?
Oct 19, 2009 Sales Related, Top Posts
As a sales professional, you learn early on that your need to ‘understand’ a buyer. But what, exactly, do you need to understand?
On the sales end of the equation, you NEED to understand the prospect’s situation to make sure you are placing the appropriate solution in the right place. This same data will give you ability to fine-tune your presentation and pitch to ensure the buyer understand how your solution will fit in their environment. You also need to understand the buyer’s vision, and criteria for Excellence.
There is no way to truly understand anything else.
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Tags: buyers, gps, issues, need, new skills, partner, seller, understand, vendor
