Selling is Hard & Buying is Harder

Last week we covered obstacle 1, Preference for stability, and obstacle 2, Fear of failure. Here are obstacles 3 and 4:

Obstacle 3: Cost of changing?

In addition to the psychological challenge of changing is the tactical cost of implementing a change. It’s a lot of work. Making a decision TO change is a lot simpler than actually MAKING that change.?

In the case of introducing contract software, for example, it meant not just training all the lawyers in the company, but also all the dozens (or thousands) of individuals throughout the company with the authority to sign contracts to purchase goods and services.?

In other words, buying this software that clearly made sense to them also meant they were taking on changing the habits of (read: annoying) all the senior managers in all the divisions in all the markets of the company. Not an easy lift.?

To be successful, the seller must simplify, expedite, and minimize the pain of implementation, convincing the senior decision-makers that you are expert in the? integration, communications, hiring, training, etc., that will be required. In addition, you must convince them that you will be there to make it all happen… otherwise, nothing will happen.??

Obstacle 4: Difficulty of selection?

Finally, there is the challenge of selecting one provider over the others. In our experience, more than three quarters of B2B buyers say that saw little or no difference between providers. In our experience, this does not lead to no decision being made, but it does have several negative consequences even for the selected provider. It increases the chance that the decision:?

• Takes longer. Consensus is harder to achieve, so it takes more time.?
• Is decided on “flimsy factors”. When very small things account for the selection, you know that no vendor presented a big difference. In our experience, we hear “they were all pretty good / pretty much the same” about one third of the time.??
• Is made on price. With fewer big trade-offs, the question is which vendor will bend more. Not pretty.??
• Compromises the relationship even before it begins. Sometimes decisions are contentious. Internally there are winners and losers. Some individual’s / team’s / function’s POV is judged over others. But you still have to implement / service / win over everyone who’s going to use your product.?

To be successful, the provider must not only win the argument (that their goods or services are superior), but must also try to ensure that as many stakeholders as possible are at least open to working with you, even if they don’t favor you. It’s very hard to get chosen when someone in the company threatens to quit if it happens. It doesn’t help to win the battle, but lose the war.?

Okay - but how do we do all this?

Good question. This is why selling is hard. And buying is harder. (to quote the book title of my colleague Gavin Hess).?

It’s also the reason we partner with Daniel Zamudio at Playbox to translate buying insights into guided deal coaching for sales teams. The PlayMaker system helps sales teams and their managers uncover and track these issues through the discovery process all the way through to negotiations, contracting, and implementation. I encourage you to contact us so we can show you how.?

?

--

Please:

• Leave a comment and start a conversation
• Share this newsletter with people you respect

Thank you!

B2P Partners