Buying is Where Selling Should Begin

by Kevin Davis

As salespeople, many of us have been conditioned to see things through our own eyes, and our sales behaviors are based on these perceptions. Seeing a buy/sell relationship only through our own eyes, however, should be a thing of the past.

Faced with increasing pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity, today's buyers are more sophisticated than they once were. They are more knowledgeable, less loyal, and more cautious because they perceive that there is a greater risk if a mistake is made. Given these changes, today's buyer will no longer simply allow you to "sell." Instead, successful salespeople will be those who provide information and recommendations, who anticipate problems and offer solutions, who look at the sales process as long-term and provides guidance along the way. In short, the successful salesperson is the one who gets into the customer's head and applies a customer-focused selling strategy.

Buy-knowing versus Buy-Learning

In customer focused selling you, as a salesperson, see things from your buyer's perspective and match your sales process with the steps your customer goes through when making a buying decision. Instrumental in adopting this approach is understanding the two ways people buy: buy-knowing and buy-learning. When buyers believe they already know what they need to know and can make a relatively quick purchase decision, this is buy-knowing. A repeat purchase is an example of this.

Buy-learning is more complex because it involves acquiring knowledge and weighing alternatives to arrive at the optimum choice. It is certainly the buying process of the 90's. Advances in technology, continued change, and a multitude of choices means there is more risk and uncertainty for buyers and, hence, a greater need to learn about the available options.

Independent research projects conducted by Columbia University School of Business and Huthwaite Research confirm the existence of the buy-learning process. Both studies concluded that when buyers feel the need to buy, but sense the risk of making a mistake, they will seek to resolve their uncertainty with a deliberate, rational buying process.

Buy-learning, as I define it, unfolds in a series of eight predictable steps. The effective salesperson understands how to shepherd buyers through each step of the buying process to encourage them to make the purchase. The eight steps are: Change, Discontent, Research, Comparison, Fear, Commitment, Expectations, and Satisfaction.

The Eight Sales Roles

Throughout the buying process, you must align your sales approach to meet your customer's needs. In other words, you must adopt the selling role that matches your buyer's current needs.

In the buying process, each step a buyer takes is firmly based on the preceding step. The more effective you are at providing the correct information at each juncture, the better your chances of winning the sale. The "eight roles of selling" that I have created as a memory aid to make the customer-focused selling process easy to use are:

The Student: As a student, you will study how changes are affecting your prospects and find opportunities where you can add value. To make larger and more profitable sales, you must find bigger and more significant needs. The prospect's potential value to you will determine how much time you devote to learning about him. Those with greater potential will warrant more of your time.

The Doctor: Discontent occurs when prospects recognize that where they are now is not where they would like to be. A problem or an opportunity can cause discontent. Your role as a doctor is to diagnose your customer's discontent and uncover his/her big needs, and then, to share information about how your offering can meet those needs. It is critical to look at both problems and opportunities.

In this role, you will encounter prospects who are sick, healthy, and in-denial. A "sick" prospect is one whose performance is not up to par and is looking to improve. The performance of a "healthy" prospect may be at an acceptable level, but they seek the opportunity to be better off and to achieve a higher level of performance. "In denial" prospects mistakenly believe their performance is optimal. Whatever type of ailment your prospects have, expect and encourage your "patients" to take some form of action to help themselves improve. The more involved they become in their own care, the faster their recovery will be.

The Architect: Here, your role is to design unique solutions that simplify your customer's research and lock out the competition. Help them by translating their intangible concept of what they need into more definite buying criteria. Be sure to refine their needs in a way that not only ensures they will achieve the outcome they desire, but also takes advantages of the competitive advantages of your offering. To move from a general concept to a specific plan, you use the same four steps that an architect uses in the design process:

The Coach: As your prospect compares your offering to that of the competition, your goal is to defeat your opponents without cutting price. A coach gains competitive advantage through analysis and insight, then executes a winning game plan. The steps that will help lead you to victory include:

Coaches say that when two teams are evenly matched, the winner will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes. That's why coaches spend a lot of time on the practice field, improving old skills and learning new ones. To win competitive sales, you must do the same. Coaches also realize that you "can't win 'em all." Even when you lose a sale, look for the lesson, adjust your activities accordingly, and move on toward your goals.

The Therapist: The therapist draws out fears and helps resolve them. Once in a while, buyers may not encounter fear during the buying process --- but, this is the exception rather than the rule. The closer people get to making a major commitment, the more they focus on the future consequences. So, be on the look out for indications that a prospect is getting nervous. To detect fear, you must be sensitive and observant. Take the time to review how thins are going. Is anything out the ordinary happening? Once you have detected fear you must determine its source. This is not always easy, and may require a bit of risk on your part as well. Raise the issue if you think it is causing fear, and help your prospects by weighing options and discussing alternatives

The Negotiator: Negotiation is a discussion designed to reach an agreement between parties who share some interests but are at odds on others. The goal here is to reach a mutual commitment to open a relationship --- not "hammer" close the sale. A couple of key points to consider as you negotiate the deal include:

Prepare to negotiate by determining what you want from the agreement (using a high, medium, and low range) and by generating a list of high-value concessions, other than price, to use as bargaining chips if needed.

Reach agreement with your customer by clearly identifying his or her interests, determining areas of agreement, and creating win-win solutions to resolve differences. Ask for commitment in a non-manipulative way.

The Teacher: Buyers need to have a clear understanding of their expectations and must have a way of knowing when and if value has been achieved. Salespeople can help on both fronts by adopting the role of a teacher. First, in customer-focused selling, the objectives agreed upon by you and your customers must be realistic and measurable. Once these goals are set it is up to you to manage your customers' expectations and teach them how to attain their objectives. The key here is to make sure your customer knows how to use your product or service properly. Teach them and guide immediately after the sale so their experience with you and your company will be as good as it can possibly be. Lastly, test for value --- make sure your offering is providing what you said it would. Only by meeting, and exceeding expectations of value, will you have a satisfied and loyal customer.

The Farmer: Today, companies striving to be the best have made customer satisfaction and retention their cornerstone business strategy. To survive and thrive, you must get closer to your customers, not just during the sales process, but after it as well. This is where the role of the farmer comes in --- to cultivate satisfaction and grow the account. Your customers form a perception of satisfaction based on four factors: value achieved, product quality, service quality, and price. The challenge to salespeople is that while the customer may be satisfied with all or some of these points today, his or her opinion may change tomorrow. By looking at the signing of a sales contract as the beginning of a service contract, you will be cultivating a relationship that will pay benefits again and again down the road.


How it all Works

Here is a brief example of how the roles fit together. Dr. Smith has a thriving practice in internal medicine and, based on his patient demographics, is considered to be a top-rated prospect for many companies selling HMC Co-A Reductase Inhibitors. For years, Janet has been trying to get Dr. Smith to buy the HMG she sells, but nothing seems to have worked.

One day, Dr. Smith is questioned by one of his patients about his medication. It seems that this patient has seen a number of "direct-to-customer" advertisements about HMGs and is worried because he is not taking these drugs perhaps he is on the incorrect medicine. Dr. Smith enters the change mode --- he realizes that as his patients become better educated, he must as well to insure patient confidence. He also faces discontent --- was a bit embarrassed to have one of his patients questioning his choice of HMGs and wants to make sure he is using the correct one.

Fortunately for Janet, she walks into Dr. Smith's office in the middle of his research mode. He has begun comparing HMGs to see which he should be prescribing most often --- but he needs more reliable information. So, Janet brings in the current clinical studies showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that her HMG will work for the patients Dr. Smith is concerned about. She also provides him with research studies showing that while her competitors' drugs are good, they do not have the clinical data that her HMG has. She leaves Dr. Smith with a list of articles she has cited. Dr. Smith agrees to try Janet's HMG.

The next day, a salesperson from a competing company walks into Dr. Smith's office. Bob is very enthusiastic, explaining that while his agent does not have the same clinical data as Janet's, it does have some loyal prescribers. Bob has done a great job of playing into Dr. Smith's fears. Dr. Smith begins to question Janet's information and contemplates Bob's alternative. In fact, he gave Bob a lukewarm commitment to prescribe his company's HMG.

A week goes by and Dr. Smith does nothing about changing his prescribing habits. Janet's information was valid and sound, but Bob was so enthusiastic about his product. Dr. Smith is afraid to make any changes. Meanwhile, Brett, a team member of Janet's, is scheduled to meet with Dr. Smith. Upon meeting with the doctor, Brett finds that he is now waffling on his commitment to their product. Like Janet, Brett carries all of his company's clinical reprints, and those of his competitors. Brett goes through the information again with Dr. Smith, reminding him why he should switch to their product. This time, Dr. Smith is committed to the new HMG. Brett has successfully blocked the competition's efforts at clouding the picture, and Dr. Smith now believes in their product.

The next few patients that come in need an HMG Co-A Reductase Inhibitor are given Brett and Janet's product. Dr. Smith asks them to return in six weeks for LFTs and a new cholesterol reading. His expectation is that they will be well manager, and he will wait for "the proof." After six weeks, the cholesterol levels of these patients are at good levels. Their LFTs have all come back to normal and Dr. Smith is satisfied with his choice. To sustain long-term commitment from Dr. Smith, Janet and Brett continue to reinforce his decision.


Summary

As customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, successful salespeople will be those who modify their sales strategy accordingly. By getting into your customer's head --- finding out about what he or she is thinking and why --- you will be adopting the type of customer-focused selling that will help you win sales.

Kevin Davis is a Danville, CA-based sales trainer. He is also the author of Getting Into Your Customer's Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don't Know, (Random House, 1996). Kevin can be reached directly at (510) 831-0922 or e-mail KDavisSell@aol.com. The book can be ordered by calling toll-free 1-888-545-SELL.

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