In selling, one size does not fit all. So we need to be careful with the advice we consume. Not that its necessarily bad (although some is), but it often comes with context; the perspective and experience of the person providing the advice. And there are usually no disclaimers.
An area where this is particularly important is advice around executing the sales process. Put aside that some folks view the sales process as a rigid, formulaic prescription as opposed to a framework that accommodates flexibility to deal with each specific sales situation. The issue I’m talking about is the importance of understanding our buyers and their buying process, so we can adopt an approach that fits their situation.
I’ll explain. In their book Rethinking the Salesforce, Neil Rackham and John DeVincentis suggest there are two types of buyers (actually three but I’ll focus on the two most common ones): Intrinsic and Extrinsic . Essentially, intrinsic buyers know what they need, tend to buy things that are well-defined and don’t require much (if any) customization (standard stuff), and buy these things often. In short, they are transactional buyers, essentially treating their purchases as commodities. They only see value in the product itself and tend to focus heavily on price. So, they see the salesperson’s role (if the transaction is not fully automated, which they’d probably prefer) as a necessary evil to facilitate their purchase of a well-defined product; to make their evaluation and acquisition process as smooth and efficient as possible. Trying to impose a consultative, solution-oriented approach in these situations simply adds no value in their eyes and is arguably an impediment to sales success.
Extrinsic buyers, on the other hand, tend to focus beyond the product, on solving a problem or enabling a desired outcome. Their purchases tend to be less frequent and have consequential business impact. They value the advice and guidance a good sales professional provides, as well as help in customizing a solution that fits their specific situation. In fact, they often dismiss sellers who employ a more transactional approach.
So, it’s important to “get it right” with our selling efforts. We must assess each situation based on it’s own characteristics to determine the prospect’s buying approach and engage accordingly (or decide not to engage). An interesting twist though: Can we influence a buyer who treats all purchases as transactional, even though they might benefit from a more consultative engagement, to change their thinking? Can we influence them to see things differently, to recognize they “don’t’ know what the don’t know” and would benefit from the experiences and insights brought to the table by a good consultative salesperson? It’s an interesting question. Maybe sometimes we can and other times we can’t. If we can’t, it leaves us with a decision: Do we go ahead and succumb to the transactional path, or do we disqualify the prospect, focusing only on buyers who see value in engaging more deeply?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
PVG Solutions
