Yin and Yang of Buying and Selling
Heat and Cold. Male and Female. Dark and Light. Buying and Selling. Masculine and Feminine. These are all opposing forces of nature. In Chinese philosophy, however, Yin and Yang, which represents these opposing forces, are not exclusively oppositional. There is interaction, interplay and interchange between the two. Although they are in opposition of each other, they are also complementary of each other.
The masculine and feminine, for example, are opposites but they also need each other. The differing qualities of each, compliment each other and are necessary for each to become whole. Buying and selling is prime example of the Yin and Yang of business. The buyer has a need and the seller has a product or service to fulfill that need. There is interplay between the parties. If the proper balance is achieved during negotiation, the buyer receives value from the purchase and the seller receives currency in return.
Many think of the buying and selling relationship as adversarial. When approached correctly, however, it is actually complimentary. Just as the Yin and Yang interact and interplay, the key to a proper buyer and seller relationship is education, interaction and communication.
Buyer, Know Thyself - Being prepared for the process is critical to the buyer. The thought that the buyer should just call a sales person and learn everything he needs to know from that single interaction could be a costly shortcut. The sales person may enjoy that interaction because it potentially gives him the upper hand in creating a scenario that best fits the product he has to sell. The sales person can direct the conversation and influence the buyers position on the key requirements of the buyer. In fact, it is the responsibility of the buyer to know and prioritize his specific requirements prior to the sales conversation. This allows the buyer to better understand how the product that the sales person is presenting fits the buyers actual requirement priorities.
It is also desirable for the buyer to do some preliminary research on potential solutions prior to engaging the sales person. By investigating options from competitive companies, the buyer will have a better understanding of which solutions may be the most beneficial for his particular need. Then, when meeting with representatives from the prospective providers, the buyer will be in a better position to probe about strengths and weaknesses of the various proposals.
Seller, Listen Before You Talk - Taking a quote from Covey Leadership Center’s book about the habits of highly effective people, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Many sellers start right off with a detailed presentation of their product and all the wonderful features that it contains without first asking the buyer about his primary needs. The buyer should actually be doing most of the talking during the first part of the presentation. The seller should be questioning and listening and understanding the needs of the buyer.
More experienced and expert sales representatives may even probe to understand non-product related potential buying motivations. Beyond product features, there may be undertones of politics, job preservation, brand loyalty or other emotional forces at play.
Finally, understand why this purchase is important to the prospective buyer. This question is key to focusing the presentation. The list of features is your menu. No one goes into a restaurant and orders everything on the menu. The sales rep needs to understand what menu items will satisfy the hunger of the buyer and match the meal to the hunger.
Yin and Yang are interactive. Buying and selling are interactive. The most productive business relationships develop around the cooperative interaction between the educated buyer and the interested seller. Obviously, there are many more details and complications in every business interaction. Both buyers and sellers learn with experience and training how to best navigate these relationships. Understanding the basic Yin/Yang philosophy, however, is a great foundation for developing beneficial relationships between vendors and customers.