Ray Collis

Myth #4: Buyers Want To Be Sold To

Myth #4: Buyers Want To Be Sold To
This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

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 […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #5: It Is A Buying Decision

Myth #5: It Is A Buying Decision
This entry is part 5 of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

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. […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #6: Buyers Buy Products & Services

Myth #6: Buyers Buy Products & Services
This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

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 […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #7: It’s About Selecting A Supplier

Myth #7: It’s About Selecting A Supplier
This entry is part 7 of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

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 […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #8: Sales Process Equals Buying Process

Myth #8: Sales Process Equals Buying Process
This entry is part of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

It follows that as selecting a supplier is only a small part of the process, the sales process is typically only a small part of the buying process. The buying process is not just the search for a supplier and it does not begin by talking to suppliers about their solutions. It often begins long […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #9: The Competition Is Another Supplier

Myth #9: The Competition Is Another Supplier
This entry is part of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

Sellers mistakenly assume that the competition is another supplier. However, in most cases it is not. The real competition is another project vying for the same resources, a decision todelay, a decision not to proceed or to do it in-house. With pressure on budgets, projects and purchases must compete for scarce organizational resources. Manager-buyers must demonstrate […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #10: The PO Is Everything

Myth #10: The PO Is Everything
This entry is part of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

For most salespeople the purchase order is both the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. The problem is that buyers see things very differently. Where Is The Purchase Order? By searching through the detail of the activities set in the Fortune 1000 buying process, we see that the PO or selection of […]

 Ray Collis

Myth #11: Purchasing Pushes Paper

Myth #11: Purchasing Pushes Paper
This entry is part of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

Sellers have traditionally had a degree of antipathy towards purchasing departments. So too have buyers. That is because its bureaucratic ways were seen as a hindrance to thesale. However, the role and the value of the purchasing function have been radically transformed. Purchasing can now be a powerful ally to both buyer and seller alike. […]

 Ray Collis

It’s Time To Explore Some Myths About Buying

It’s Time To Explore Some Myths About Buying
This entry is part of 12 in the series Myths About Buying

In the face of the new reality of how buying decisions are made, it is now time to explode some of the myths that make old selling and new buying so difficult to reconcile. That is a total of 11 erroneous assumptions. These myths form part of the popular folklore of selling. They are the equivalent […]

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