Buyers Confront New Market Realities
A long period of buoyant growth ended suddenly in 2008, resulting in a fundamental shake up of industries and economies worldwide.Thus it was that a golden age of corporate growth, confidence and ambition gave way to a period of retrenchment and uncertainty. Almost universally, organizational priorities have changed from growing sales to cutting costs. No where can the effects of this […]
Managers Pull Rank On Major Buying Decisions
(a) Seniority Required When it comes to major buying decisions, managers are pulling rank. Senior managers are required to sign off on ever smaller purchases. They set the priorities and the budgets; if they can be sold on the business case then they have the power to ‘make it happen’. (b) The View At the […]
Selling Higher – Are You Ready to Climb?
The fact that decisions are being made at a higher level requires a totally different approach to selling. It can present many challenges for the salesperson, including access. Indeed, our experience of dozens of United Kingdom sales campaigns suggests it is 50% more difficult to access C level (CEO, CFO, or CTO) executives in major […]
Buying Is Now A Team Sport
Buying Decisions Are Being Wider Buying decisions are being made wider, as well as higher in most organizations. Indeed, those buyers and sellers we talk to suggest that the numbers involved in major buying decisions has doubled in a decade. This has major implications for buyer and seller alike. Multifunctional buying teams are the order […]
From ‘Buyer Beware’ to ‘Seller Beware!’
Seller Beware! Caveat Emptor, or buyer beware was the dominant concept for decades. No longer, the balance of power has shifted, with the seller reluctantly ceding control to a more sophisticated and cynical breed of buyer. Today it is the seller who must beware! The seller is no longer ‘the ringmaster’ of the sale, often being […]
Introducing The Self-Contained Buyer!
(a) Buyers Are ‘Doing It For Themselves!’ Buyers are increasingly self-contained. They like to be in control and to stay in control. That means they start to elicit the requirements, build the business case and define the solution well in advance of meeting vendors. Buyers know that they have the power in a market where […]
6 Ways Buyers Can Defeat Seller’s Ploys
It is with just reason that buyers are skeptical of sellers and their ploys. The result is that they have developed a variety of means of keeping sellers in check. Here are some of the tips given by experienced buyers to their novice colleagues on the subject of managing sellers: Silence is golden! – Be guarded in […]
The Age of The Skeptical Buyer Has Dawned
(a) ‘Sales Weary’ Buyers Buyers are more skeptical of vendor sales; people, processes and promises than ever before. They don’t trust easily, or forget quickly- and with good reason. Buyers are increasingly ‘sales-weary’, so sellers take great care! (b) The Sins of Past Sales People Here is a simple reality that we as sellers need […]
Selling To Solomon – Selling To Buyers Who ‘Know It All’
Much of traditional selling is based on the premise that the seller knows more than the buyer. Well, this assumption is increasingly being proven to be false. Today’s buyer is more skilled and experienced than ever before and that presents the salesperson with both opportunities and challenges. (a) Complex Decisions Require Skilled Managers Managers are […]
The Purchasing Department Re-invents Itself
The Revolution in the Purchasing Department Previously purchasing was a bureaucratic department that completed transactions and managed the associated paperwork. Now it is considered to be an integrated function, which aims to ensure professional buying skills and practices are applied to all corporate buying decisions organization-wide. How the role of purchasing has changed is summarized in […]
Buying Gets Strategic!
Welcome to the new strategic buying! Purchasing has been elevated from an administrative function to a strategic business driver and this has important implications for sellers. (a) The Strategy Behind The Purchase Managers are required to demonstrate how projects and purchases fit with strategic priorities and drive business performance. That is because major purchase decisions […]
The Business Case Is King!
One of the key trends of concern to sellers is the rise in importance of the business case in the making of important buying decisions. The reality is that the business case is King and that means sellers must bow before it. (a) Putting the Business Decision First Major purchase decisions are first and foremost […]
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