Before you close a sale, your prospect has work to do: before they self-identify as a buyer, or close a deal, they must figure out their risk of change and get buy-in from their stakeholders.

Unfortunately for sellers, because these tasks are cultural and idiosyncratic, they have nothing to do with selling per se, and aren’t affected in any way by the sales process. Sellers need a different goal and new facilitation tools to find and connect with potential prospects going through their Pre-Sales decisions that are beyond the scope of sales.

Indeed, the Buy Side and Sell Side are wholly different: one manages risk and change; one sells solutions.

Buying is a change/risk management problem (Buy Side) before it’s a solution choice (Sell Side) issue. By overlooking the (Buy Side) Buying Process and narrowing the search for buyers to those who’ll listen to product details or seem to have a ‘need’ (the Sell Side); by ignoring the necessary risks and change management that all potential buyers must address on the Buy Side; the sales industry overlooks the 80% of potential buyers who could use help managing their internal issues during their risk management and buy-in processes.

As a result, sales closes a small fraction of possible buyers, not to mention having a longer-than-necessary sales cycle  the sales model overlooks the skills needed to facilitate the Buy Side, leaving as prospects address their internal issues privately.

I believe the field is using the wrong metric and chasing the wrong target (‘Need’). Not to mention missing the unique skills necessary to facilitate change.

Read Sample

LOOKING FOR PROSPECTS IN THE WRONG PLACE

People become buyers when they can’t resolve their own problems AND have buy-in for change AND can tolerate the risk of doing something different (a purchase); if the disruption, the change involved with bringing in something new/different is too high they’ll stay the same regardless of need or the efficacy of your solution..

People don’t want to buy anything, merely resolve a problem at the least risk to the system.

A ‘NEED’ FOCUS CAUSES FAILURE

A major problem for sellers is the criteria used to define a prospect: Need. But need is a flawed indicator. People buy when

• stakeholders agree there’s a problem that needs resolving;
• they’ve tried to resolve it and nothing worked;
• they fully understand the risks – the cost – to the system and find them manageable;
• everyone who will touch the final solution buys in.

Not only is it impossible for prospects to understand their full set of needs unless all of the above are completed, people can’t buy unless they understand the risk of change. Buying is not about their problem or the efficacy of your solution. Until or unless they’ve gone through all their change management steps they are not buyers, regardless of what you think they need.

Remember: Selling doesn’t cause buying.

STEPS TO BUYING ARE CHANGE MANAGEMENT BASED

Until they realize they cannot fix the problem themselves AND everyone recognizes that the cost of the fix is less than the cost of staying the same, people will not buy. And when you don’t hear back, they’re not facing indecision: they’re merely involved in their change management process and not yet buyers.

Sellers can help would-be buyers traverse their Buy Side Buying Process before trying to sell. Otherwise you’re selling to the low hanging fruit, the 5% who have completed their internal process, rather than actively facilitating the 80% who need help managing their Buy Side process.

I’ve invented a Pre-Sales decision facilitation model called Buying Facilitation® that first seeks out folks on route to solving a problem my solution can resolve, facilitates them through assembling stakeholders, understanding risk and getting buy-in, and then uses the sales model to sell my solution. It’s an add-on to sales, and enables a 40% close rate instead of 5%.

Below I’ve included a few articles I’ve written on the subject. Go to www.sharon-drew.com, read the section Helping Buyers Buy, and go to the categories Sales, Buying Facilitation® in my blog section and start reading. Then contact me with questions: sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com. I’ll teach you.

‘No Decision’ is not Indecision

What is Buying Facilitation® and What Sales Problem Does it Solve

The Real Buyer’s Journey: the reason selling doesn’t cause buying

How, Why, and When Buyers Buy

A View from the Buy Side

For those teams or individuals wishing to discuss Buying Facilitation® training, contact Sharon-Drew at: sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com

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If you’re enjoying these Monday Articles, please subscribe to make sure you get them delivered to your inbox on Monday morning. I use no cookies, they’re free, and I never use the database to market. As an original thinker I offer these to share out-of-the-box ideas as part of my life’s work. And I’m always eager to hear your thoughts and start a conversation: sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com. Enjoy.

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Sharon-Drew Morgen is a breakthrough innovator and original thinker, having developed new paradigms in sales (inventor Buying Facilitation®, listening/communication (What? Did you really say what I think I heard?), change management (The How of Change™), coaching, and leadership. She is the author of several books, including her new book HOW? Generating new neural circuits for learning, behavior change and decision making, the NYTimes Business Bestseller Selling with Integrity and Dirty Little Secrets: why buyers can’t buy and sellers can’t sell). Sharon-Drew coaches and consults with companies seeking out of the box remedies for congruent, servant-leader-based change in leadership, healthcare, and sales. Her award-winning blog carries original articles with new thinking, weekly. www.sharon-drew.com She can be reached at sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com.