Sales Training Article: The Buyer’s Bill of Rights

By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling® – The Sales Training Company

It’s the time of year when Americans pause to give thought to the freedoms our forefathers treasured and were willing to fight to secure. Oppression was and is a powerful motivator.

Since 1993 I’ve railed against traditional selling approaches. In the last decade buyers have leveled the playing field in starting to dictate how they want to be treated. I regret to say most vendors have failed to align with this changing landscape.

The Buyer’s Bill of Rights

I’d like to share ten (10) things today’s buyers would appreciate and encourage you to check off those you feel you or your sellers provide on a consistent basis:

o Sellers should be able in 20 words or less to tell us what their offerings help buyers do.

o We want to discuss our needs with sellers before being subjected to product pitches.

o Sellers should offer only those parts of their offerings that match capabilities we need to improve business results.

o We want a high level view of potential benefits before committing the resources needed to evaluate offerings.

o We want to be empowered, not pressured to buy.

o We want sellers to be knowledgeable about our industries and job responsibilities.

o We want cost versus benefit analyses based upon our projections, not the seller’s.

o We want sellers to help us monitor results.

o We want sellers that understand and align with our buying process.

o Sellers should withdraw if their offerings aren’t a good fit.

Most organizations leave buyer experiences to individual salespeople. Unfortunately, only about 10% of sellers are up to the task. An organizational approach/process is necessary to consistently win by providing superior buying experiences.