Buyers Have Changed. Your Sales Strategy Should Too.
If your tried and true sales method isn’t cutting it anymore, it’s not just you. Today’s buyer is not the same as he or she was just a few years ago, so strategies that used to effectively convert leads to sales may be missing the mark.
The good news is that once you understand Buyer 2.0 and what they need from you, you can adjust your sales strategies accordingly. Boom! You’re back in business.
The buyer’s journey differs slightly depending on who’s model you are looking at, but essentially, most people agree there are at least three basic steps – Needs/Awareness, Evaluation and Decision.
Old School Sales vs. Modern Day Sales
What used to happen is that Buyer 1.0 would discover a need (stage 1) and reach out to a sales person. That sales person would then ask them lots of questions about their needs, educate the prospect on their solutions, explain how their solutions fit their needs and ultimately try to convince them to buy.
That’s not what happens any more.
Today, when Buyer 2.0 discovers a need, they research solutions themselves. They educate themselves, read reviews, compare different companies, services and products, and get to the point where they’ve almost made up their minds before they reach out to a sales person (if they have to reach out at all).
70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before a buyer even reaches out to sales.--SiriusDecisions
Buyer 2.0 doesn’t need to get the full song and dance about your solutions. They’ve already done all the legwork. The fact that they’ve reached out to you at all means that they’re probably almost sold. At this point, they aren’t looking for solutions, they are looking for confirmation that they are making the right decision.
This should be easy, but you can frustrate and annoy your prospect by treating them like they are at the top of the funnel when they are actually closer to the bottom.
Validate, Validate, Validate
At this point, your prospect already thinks that your solution is a good fit for his needs, or he would not be contacting you. The role of sales now is to validate their research and confirm that choosing your company is the best choice.
Since the prospect already thinks your solution will likely solve their problem, the choice often comes down to two factors – price and risk. If you can win at either of these (or both), you’ll likely close the sale.
Bottom line: Save the sales pitch and take a more collaborative approach with customers. You aren’t there to lecture or convince, you’re there to help them navigate the final steps of their journey as painlessly as possible.
Need help generating more qualified leads? That’s what we’re best at. Let’s Talk.
Diane Callihan
With more than 20 years of experience writing for some of the country’s top brands, Diane helped to shape Roger West’s content strategy, lead generation, and PR efforts as Director of Marketing. She currently serves as President of Callihan Content Creation.