YOU MAY KNOW HOW TO SELL - BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO BUY
A sales rep learned from a successful colleague that customers don't inherently know how to make purchasing decisions. The key insight was that instead of asking customers what they want to do next, successful salespeople assertively guide the decision-making process.
Summary
The speaker describes a learning experience early in their sales career where initial success was followed by struggles at a new company. They sought mentorship from a colleague who was exceptionally successful despite having disadvantages like a poor territory, weak sales engineer support, and limited technical knowledge. Through shadowing this successful rep, the speaker observed a fundamentally different approach to customer interactions. Rather than being reactive and asking customers what they preferred to do next, this rep was assertive and directive, telling prospects what steps they should take, what should be important to them, and how to proceed. When questioned about this approach, the mentor explained that customers lack formal training in decision-making and product evaluation. He argued that prospects typically conduct unfocused research, looking at multiple websites and downloading various products, often making decisions based on superficial preferences rather than structured evaluation. The mentor emphasized that their role was sales, not customer service, and that successful selling required taking control of the process rather than simply responding to customer requests.
Key Insights
- The mentor argued that customers lack formal training in decision-making and product evaluation, often making purchasing decisions by randomly comparing websites and products before essentially flipping a coin
- The successful sales rep claimed that most salespeople fail because they ask customers what they want to do next, when customers fundamentally don't know how to navigate the buying process
- The mentor distinguished between being in 'service' versus 'sales,' asserting that closing deals requires taking control and directing the process rather than acting as a reactive 'service monkey'
Topics
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