When you’re faced with a problem and provided with a solution, it would be silly not to take it. This is the reality of selling; clients need solutions and salespeople are offering them, but no one is buying. Why? Especially considering the euphoric feeling we, the buyer, get from purchasing new products. Buying a new car is an experience in itself; building up your excitement and taking it down to the car yard to search for your new investment to solve a problem. Better than walking!
Notice how happy you or others were upon finally buying the car or new phone, laptop or even a large purchase like a house. The excitement from these purchases tends to last longer than the moments themselves. So, if we all love to buy new and shiny things, why do salespeople struggle so much when they try to sell stuff?
Salespeople have one end goal, to help make people’s lives easier with their solutions. So, why isn't this process as friction-free as an abundance of happy buyers would suggest it should be?
I’ve brainstormed 12 reasons:
The B2C buying experience is different from the B2B and so are the outcomes
Salespeople are trying too hard to sell instead of helping people to buy and solve their problem(s)
Salespeople are putting their own interests ahead of their clients
Salespeople tend to be too predictable and obvious, and their clients hate it
Salespeople and clients don’t have the same goals
Salespeople try to sell stuff that some people don’t need or want
Salespeople are unaware how to have real conversations with their clients about their issues and the impacts of them
Salespeople aren’t taking the time to build any worthwhile relationships
B2B salespeople don't know how to make the B2B conversation personal; failing to get their business clients to the “happy place” that B2C clients get to
Salespeople can’t sell on value effectively enough
Salespeople can’t set realist expectations
Salespeople are failing in their consultative approach to selling, the only method that makes it personal
Those are my 12 reasons; can you throw me a couple more to add to the list. Once we recognise the issues, we can start to create the solutions. Moving forward, how can we make the B2B experience more pleasant, personal, personal and value-based and less about the needs and goals, which raise resistance?
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