Myth #1: It’s All About Selling!
Many sellers have spent too long on one side of the table to be able to relate to buyers and exactly what they are thinking. They need to stop looking at selling through a sales-centered lens. (a) It’s About Buying! ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ is a phrase that played an important role in the election […]
Myth #2: The Seller Is In Control
Perhaps the greatest myth of all in respect of selling relates to who is in control. It is widely believed that the seller can or should be in control. However, nothing is further from thetruth. The Seller As The Center Of The Universe Notice anything wrong with the diagram below? Well, as out of place with […]
Myth #3: The Unsophisticated Buyer
It can be tempting to underestimate the buyer — to assume they know less or are less sophisticated than the seller. Increasingly, this is a dangerous assumption. As we discussed in the previous section today’s buyers often know more than the sales team selling to them. They are exercising greater care in how decisions are […]
Myth #4: Buyers Want To Be Sold To
A typical mistake made by salespeople is to assume that buyers want to be sold to. Buyers may want to buy, but that does not mean they want to be sold to. Indeed, as noted earlier, that is often the last thing that they want. They don’t want to be treated as a lead, a […]
Myth #5: It Is A Buying Decision
It is all about the buying decision, right? Well it used to be, but not anymore. Today’s major purchase requires not just a buying decision but a more fundamental businessdecision. Saying that a major purchase is a business, as opposed to a buying decision is not just a play on words. The two are dramatically different. […]
Myth #6: Buyers Buy Products & Services
Most salespeople are still selling products and services. That is in spite of the fact that what buyers really want are solutions to problems, not products and services. Take a look back at the Fortune 1000 buying process. How many times does it talk about product or service? Certainly a lot less than it talks about […]
Myth #7: It’s About Selecting A Supplier
Salespeople expect the Fortune 1000 buying process to focus on ‘shopping for a supplier’ and to include such steps as: Defining vendor selection criteria. Short-listing vendors. Briefing shortlisted vendors. Eliciting vendor proposals. Vendor presentations and clarifications. Vendor selection. Notification of successful and unsuccessful vendors. Final negotiation of terms and signing of contract. But these steps […]
Peter Viljoen: 
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