It is often said that people buy from people they like, they know and they trust. Well, there’s some truth in this statement. However, in a B2B context, when you look at the number of people involved in a purchase decision, it would be a lot of love to give…
There is so much to take into account: the technical aspect, the financial aspect, the human aspect, the user’s reaction and sometimes even the opinion of someone out of the process. Add the schedule of the president or owner of the company to the equation too… With all of this, it takes a lot more than the famous “know, like, trust” concept… no wonder why the buying cycle takes so long!
It’s normal, you have to find “what’s in it for them”, this element that will convince them of the added value of what you offer. And you have to do it for all the actors in the process. To succeed, you need to ask the right questions to the right people, at the right time. You find one or two people who have an interest in what you do, you fill up your sales funnel, you follow up, you lose a lot of time and in the end… there’s no sales.
Moreoever, it is important to fight the natural impulse of prospects to be picky and to run away when they “feel” you’re just a salesman. All these hurdles show one thing : it is important to reconsider sales and the “know, like, trust” concept.
I had the opportunity to chat with Mark Wayshak, author of Game Plan Selling, while he was in Montreal. He has a phrase that sums it all up: “People buy from those who understand them”!
Therefore:
You can’t understand if you only “pitch” your offer.
You can’t understand if you try to persuade someone.
You can’t understand if you talk more than your prospect.
To understand, you must know. To know, you have to be curious. Ask questions about what they want but more importantly about what they want to avoid and prevent. Fear remains a motivation which is often more powerful than gain. A gain is interesting. The end of fear or “pain” is an emergency.
A client in an urgent situation signs usually a lot faster…
