Back in 2010 I did a research study into Buyers’ views of
salespeople for TACK International. As well as the conventional tick box data captured, some respondents also liked to express their views rather than merely tick boxes !!!
Here is a collection of Buyers’ “vox pop” advice to
Salespeople that I have extracted from the full report.
I have grouped them under 10 main wishes.
They are worth looking at because they are their words.
Although from four years ago , I doubt many buyers would offer different advice to salespeople today. Scroll down the list and see for your self.
Could your clients be thinking and saying similar things of you and your team today?
1. Planning Preparation and Priorities & prioritisation
• “Efficient visit planning”
• “Be timely”
• “Appoint”
• “Be prepared with research”
• “Do more groundwork”
• “Know the costs”
2. Doing your Homework
• “Be more prepared for meetings. Learn about the project
before coming in”
• “Know the market”, “Know my business"
“Research who they are phoning before speaking to them”
• “Understand how climate impacts customers”
• “Better competitor research”
• “Know more about their products and services”
3. Client centred meeting objectives
• “Tailor their proposed solution to my business objectives”
• “Be more clued up”
• “Target the presentation to suit my business”
• “Be punctual”
• “Demonstrate value in their offering”
• “Build powerful ROI ( return on investment) arguments to support Board buy-in”
4. Client Meeting and Sales
Call management
“Present an agenda before the meeting”
• “Give good reason to meet with them”
• “Only contact me when there is something new to discuss”
• “Follow up calls are very important and not often made”
• “Save me money”
• “Read and comply with the brief”
5. Focused Attention
of clients’ interests from the start
• “Focus on my current priorities”
• “Do more groundwork and give a good reason to meet with
them”
• “Stand out from the crowd by giving a reason to speak to
them”
• “Don’t go for the hard sell ask questions first”
• “Come prepared don’t waste my time”
6. Interesting , insightful
and meaningful questions
• “Listen don’t make assumptions”
• “Ask relevant questions”
• “Fully understand needs”
• “Ensure they have understood the product requirements”
• “Find out what I want before selling any solutions”
• “Understand the requirements”
7. Benefits to me and my organisation
“Engage not present”
• “Build powerful ROI argument to support Board buy-in”
• “Tailor their proposed solution to my business objectives”
• “Save me money!”
• “As a partner react to customer cost reduction
requirements”
• “Be more specific in meeting needs”
8. Answer my technical concerns and commercial reservations
• “Offer alternative solutions”
• “Flexibility to client needs”
• “Empathise”
• “Take no for an answer”
• “Look for areas where their product can give extra value
above and beyond the initial concept”
• “Be aware that price is very important”
9. Conclusions and moving on
• “Follow me up and not make me chase them!”
• “Supply a professional proposal when promised”
• “Follow through as promised”
• “Do relevant follow up to phone calls or meetings quickly”
• “Ask the customer how he would like to be contacted”
• “Be very clear with their message and wind up quickly”
10. Keeping in touch
• “ More phone contact not just when there is an order on
the horizon”
• “Follow up calls are very important and not often made”
• “Ask the buyer when he would like to be contacted”
• “Longevity of service to their chosen company”
• “Only contact me when there is some thing new to discuss”
• “Keep good relationships with customers, even though
restructuring takes place on both sides”
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