Are You Selling Or Is Your Customer Buying?

Are you selling or is your customer buying?The answer is “yes” and “yes.” Here's the simple reason for the double affirmative—the sales cycle and the buying cycle occur simultaneously.So when you consider these two processes happening in parallel, it’s clear that the only purpose of your sales process is to support your prospect’s buying process.Your priority is to help buyers accomplish one single task—and that is quickly giving them whatever information they need to make a fully informed decision to purchase the right product or service for their company. And make that choice with the least investment of their time possible.That’s how you successfully deliver value for the buyer. That’s how you lay the foundation for a trust-based relationship. And that’s how you truly differentiate yourself from your competitors.Never forget that the buyer is in charge. Industry data tells us what we know from experience. By the time buyers engage with your company, they have already gathered 50 to 75 percent of the data they need to make their decision. After they consume all the public information about a product or service, the remaining data your prospect needs in order to make theirdecision is generally available only from you, the seller.Therefore, to ensure that you are effectively supporting your prospect’s buying process you have to continually ask yourself:Have you provided your buyer with the information he or she needs to move to the subsequent step in their buying process?Quickly? And, in a way that’s easy to digest?If you typically respond to a buyer’s question with, “Sorry, I’m going to have to get back to you,” you will slow down their process and leave room for a competitor to beat you to solving the buyer’s needs.Remember, your prospect has a separate buying process for every seller whose products they are evaluating. So, don’t let your competitor give your buyer what he or she needs to make an informed purchase before you do.Claim the first mover advantage. And go win the order.