RELATIONSHIP SELLING PART I (BUYING VERSUS BEING SOLD)
RELATIONSHIP SELLING PART I (BUYING VERSUS BEING SOLD)
- People like to buy.
- People hate being sold or being forced to buy.
- People buy from people that they like and trust.
Everyone has encountered the above three statements. You have heard them either verbatim or by means of different words that convey the same or similar meaning.
All people go through a distinctive buying process regardless of whether they are buying groceries, buying consumer goods for their home or making large purchases for their corporations.
- The first stage in this process is to perceive need.
- The second stage is to research alternatives.
- The third stage is to make the purchase (decision).
- The fourth stage is to perform post-purchase analysis.
There is no defined timeframe and/or set of tasks that need to occur in each of these stages.
Sometimes this process is very short. For example, an individual is not going to perform weeks of research on what type lettuce they plan to buy.
Sometimes this process is very long and drawn out. For example, a corporate executive will almost always perform a significant amount of research before buying a five million dollar CRM system for his or her corporation.
Some of you are probably saying, yeah right! I do not go through that process every time I buy. What if I was going out to dinner? I am not thinking through four stages. I just go out and eat.
Well it is my turn to say, “No! You do not just go out and eat.” You go through the process either consciously or subconsciously. Here is how it works.
Perceive Need: I am hungry. There is nothing in my refrigerator. I need to go out and eat.
Research Alternatives: What do I feel like eating today? - Chinese, Mexican, Steak, Italian, Fast food or Pizza.
My clothes have been fitting a little too snug this past few weeks, may be I should avoid fast food.
I like Chinese food, but I had it earlier this week. The Italian restaurant is eight miles away. I can just walk to the Mexican restaurant on the next block; the food is not bad and it is not too pricey either.
Make the Purchase (Decision): I guess am going to have Mexican food for dinner tonight.
Post-Purchase analysis: That burrito is sitting in my stomach like a rock and I feel heartburn coming on. Maybe I should have driven to the Italian place or just stayed in and ordered a pizza. A pizza would have been just as cheap. The Italian place was pricey. However, I would not be suffering heartburn now. OR
That was the best burrito I ever had and I am full. I am glad that I decided to eat Mexican food tonight.
Therefore, it seems apparent that we go through the four stages of buying regardless of what we are buying.
Let us examine these four stages from a corporate perspective. I do not think anyone out there is reading this book with the intent of understanding his or her decision process when choosing a restaurant. At least I hope not.
Stage1 – Perceive Need: The individual decision maker, group of decision makers or corporate management perceives a need.
This perceived need might sometimes be an urgent or critical need, like that perceived because of an existing or imminent crisis.
For example, someone hacked into our systems, our competitor already has it, government regulation dictates it, etc.
At other times, the perceived need may be less urgent.
For example, the existing accounting system is becoming outdated so we would like to update our accounting system soon, we should get more health insurance benefits for our employees, etc.
Regardless of the urgency, when the corporation identifies a need, they usually begin analyzing alternatives. This leads us to:
Stage2 – Research Alternatives: The analysis and research of alternatives is typically (but not always) a documented process within most organizations. Regardless of whether it is formal or informal, written or unwritten, it exists.
For instance, one organization might have a purchase evaluation team that analyses all alternatives and prepares written reports for upper management to decide. In other cases, it might just be one individual, a mid-level or senior manager, who gets multiple quotes before deciding.
Either way, involvement at this stage is very important for you - the sales professional. If you already have a trusted relationship with the sole decision maker, the sole decision maker’s superiors, the organization, or some member of the organization who has a reasonable amount of credibility as a strong influencer, you can rest assured that you (your company) will be one of the factors considered in the analysis of alternatives.
If you do not have the trusted relationship, it is almost too late to try to develop it at this stage. I am not saying that it is impossible to do, as I have seen it done successfully even at this late stage. I am just stating that it is an uphill battle.
I am also stressing the importance of establishing relationships with clients, regardless of whether you think they have a current need for your services or products.
You can rarely predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy when an organization might perceive need.
Stage 3 – Make the Purchase (Decision): The organization issues a purchase order or bill of sale and makes the purchase.
Stage 4 – Post-Purchase Analysis: This is another critical stage in the process. Your relationships with the stakeholders can make or break your deal at this stage. This applies regardless of who makes the purchase or how the purchase was made.
There is always at least one (typically more that one) naysayer within every organization. This person or these persons will question the decision and raise doubts about the effectiveness and performance capabilities of the solution that was purchased. The questions usually raised are:
- Did we really need it?
- Did we perform enough research on the alternatives available in the market?
- Did we get a good deal?
If the person or persons that made the decision were in the buying mode, they will defend the decision as if their life depended on it.
Conversely, if the person or persons that made the decision felt like they were being sold or being pressured to buy, they will defend the decision half-heartedly at best.
Additional information on Relationship Selling can be found in Relationship Selling – The Fine Art of Consultative Sales. ISBN: 1432715003.
RELATIONSHIP SELLING PART I BUYING VERSUS BEING SOLD - To learn more about this author, visit Atul Uchil's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
BUYING VERSUS BEING SOLD
- People like to buy.
- People hate being sold or being forced to buy.
- People buy from people that they like and trust.
Everyone has encountered the above three statements. You have heard them either verbatim or by means of different words that convey the same or similar meaning.
All people go through a distinctive buying process regardless of whether they are buying groceries, buying consumer goods for their home or making large purchases for their corporations.
- The first stage in this process is to perceive need.
- The second stage is to research alternatives.
- The third stage is to make the purchase (decision).
- The fourth stage is to perform post-purchase analysis.
There is no defined timeframe and/or set of tasks that need to occur in each of these stages.
Sometimes this process is very short. For example, an individual is not going to perform weeks of research on what type lettuce they plan to buy.
Sometimes this process is very long and drawn out. For example, a corporate executive will almost always perform a significant amount of research before buying a five million dollar CRM system for his or her corporation.
Some of you are probably saying, yeah right! I do not go through that process every time I buy. What if I was going out to dinner? I am not thinking through four stages. I just go out and eat.
Well it is my turn to say, “No! You do not just go out and eat.” You go through the process either consciously or subconsciously. Here is how it works.
Perceive Need: I am hungry. There is nothing in my refrigerator. I need to go out and eat.
Research Alternatives: What do I feel like eating today? - Chinese, Mexican, Steak, Italian, Fast food or Pizza.
My clothes have been fitting a little too snug this past few weeks, may be I should avoid fast food.
I like Chinese food, but I had it earlier this week. The Italian restaurant is eight miles away. I can just walk to the Mexican restaurant on the next block; the food is not bad and it is not too pricey either.
Make the Purchase (Decision): I guess am going to have Mexican food for dinner tonight.
Post-Purchase analysis: That burrito is sitting in my stomach like a rock and I feel heartburn coming on. Maybe I should have driven to the Italian place or just stayed in and ordered a pizza. A pizza would have been just as cheap. The Italian place was pricey. However, I would not be suffering heartburn now. OR
That was the best burrito I ever had and I am full. I am glad that I decided to eat Mexican food tonight.
Therefore, it seems apparent that we go through the four stages of buying regardless of what we are buying.
Let us examine these four stages from a corporate perspective. I do not think anyone out there is reading this book with the intent of understanding his or her decision process when choosing a restaurant. At least I hope not.
Stage1 – Perceive Need: The individual decision maker, group of decision makers or corporate management perceives a need.
This perceived need might sometimes be an urgent or critical need, like that perceived because of an existing or imminent crisis.
For example, someone hacked into our systems, our competitor already has it, government regulation dictates it, etc.
At other times, the perceived need may be less urgent.
For example, the existing accounting system is becoming outdated so we would like to update our accounting system soon, we should get more health insurance benefits for our employees, etc.
Regardless of the urgency, when the corporation identifies a need, they usually begin analyzing alternatives. This leads us to:
Stage2 – Research Alternatives: The analysis and research of alternatives is typically (but not always) a documented process within most organizations. Regardless of whether it is formal or informal, written or unwritten, it exists.
For instance, one organization might have a purchase evaluation team that analyses all alternatives and prepares written reports for upper management to decide. In other cases, it might just be one individual, a mid-level or senior manager, who gets multiple quotes before deciding.
Either way, involvement at this stage is very important for you - the sales professional. If you already have a trusted relationship with the sole decision maker, the sole decision maker’s superiors, the organization, or some member of the organization who has a reasonable amount of credibility as a strong influencer, you can rest assured that you (your company) will be one of the factors considered in the analysis of alternatives.
If you do not have the trusted relationship, it is almost too late to try to develop it at this stage. I am not saying that it is impossible to do, as I have seen it done successfully even at this late stage. I am just stating that it is an uphill battle.
I am also stressing the importance of establishing relationships with clients, regardless of whether you think they have a current need for your services or products.
You can rarely predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy when an organization might perceive need.
Stage 3 – Make the Purchase (Decision): The organization issues a purchase order or bill of sale and makes the purchase.
Stage 4 – Post-Purchase Analysis: This is another critical stage in the process. Your relationships with the stakeholders can make or break your deal at this stage. This applies regardless of who makes the purchase or how the purchase was made.
There is always at least one (typically more that one) naysayer within every organization. This person or these persons will question the decision and raise doubts about the effectiveness and performance capabilities of the solution that was purchased. The questions usually raised are:
- Did we really need it?
- Did we perform enough research on the alternatives available in the market?
- Did we get a good deal?
If the person or persons that made the decision were in the buying mode, they will defend the decision as if their life depended on it.
Conversely, if the person or persons that made the decision felt like they were being sold or being pressured to buy, they will defend the decision half-heartedly at best.
Additional information on Relationship Selling can be found in Relationship Selling – The Fine Art of Consultative Sales. ISBN: 1432715003.
RELATIONSHIP SELLING PART I BUYING VERSUS BEING SOLD - To learn more about this author, visit Atul Uchil's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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Atul Uchil Video - Atul UchilDo not sell products, services or commodities. Just establish strong relationships with clients and achieve the coveted status of a trusted advisor. Then, your clients will elect to buy services and/or products from you. Never try to sell them.
I know that this sounds deceptively simple. Almost as if one could just sit around and wait for things to happen. Establishing and maintaining trusted client relationships without trying to sell them anything, requires a lot of patience and a constant struggle against the temptation to start selling.
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