Any of us who’ve been involved in sales and marketing for a number of years will have seen a significant change in the sales process. But has the way we sell adapted to suit? According to some research, 33% of all buyers desire a “seller-free sales experience” – a preference that climbs to 44% for millennials. If we still sell like it’s 1999, we’re putting ourselves at a big disadvantage with a large sector of the market.
The change that all experienced sales professionals will have identified is that buyers are much better educated. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. So how do we cope with that?
The answer, according to many experts, is to target having conversations rather than making presentations. Sales collateral should be about the buyer’s goals, not the seller’s offering. We’re selling an outcome.
Being ‘customer-centred’ means selling in the way that people want to buy.