We all read about the modern buyer being empowered…the internet a provides a wealth of information; they do their research online so they’re better informed than in the past; they don’t need to engage with a salesperson until they’re well into the buying process (some say 57%, others 70%, whatever); and when they do engage they are so well informed that the salesperson is relegated to being essentially an order taker.
It’s true there’s an amazing amount of information available at their fingertips. And for straightforward commodity purchases there is no doubt that the internet has rendered the salesperson largely irrelevant. But the internet is not an expert. For any significant purchase it’s difficult to get an accurate or complete picture online, even in the B2C realm (at least in my experience). The internet doesn’t provide context. It doesn’t consider nuance. Sure, I can go online and check out all my potential providers, but the information is often incomplete or even confusing. It’s good because it raises more questions. But I need help. How will this work in my specific situation? What are the implications of the different choices to my business? What are the pitfalls I need to be mindful of? How can I implement this change in my specific situation?
As salespeople, this is where we can be valuable to prospects. But we need to be out in front to do that. We can’t just sit back and accept the hype that prospects don’t need us anymore (or at least not as much). They need us more than ever! Despite all their research, they still don’t know what they don’t know. We can provide the clarity, the guidance, the answers to their questions that they can’t get online. And we can raise questions they didn’t think of. To do this we must engage with insights, ideas, questions and advice…an actual conversation! And if we’re proactively prospecting against a target list of companies that look like our best customers (Ideal Customer Profile), we can share experience and knowledge that they don’t have. And how about guiding them in mobilizing the internal change process. We’ve been through this with other customers.
This is real value. And it comes from the salesperson, not the internet!
