Frictionless Buying: How to Minimize Resistance in the Buy-Sell Process
In physics, friction slows down motion. You want your race car and pit crew to be well-oiled machines.
In the purchasing process, uncertainty, unclear objectives and different needs slow down the process. The job of the sales function is to remove unnecessary friction/resistance between the buyer and seller by putting themselves on the buyer’s wavelength.
How do you do this?
1. Make it easy for potential buyers to find your solution.
You can’t solve their problem if they don’t know you’re out there. Beyond being search engine friendly and good marketing campaigns, it’s important to be a thought leader in your space to attract interested parties to your site. Once they’re on your site, it should be easy to navigate and find the information they need to continue their decision-making process. Since most buyers explore sites on their own to find out what solutions are out there, before engaging in a person-to-person dialogue, this information needs to be convincing, using videos, testimonials, case studies, ROI calculators, etc. Being involved in online communities that your buyers trust is key to leveraging online word of mouth.
2. Deeply understand your needs.
Most people who engage in person-to-person interactions are evaluating options to find the best solution. One of the ways you can add value is to clearly understand your needs, which often means taking the buyer one step back from evaluating options to reviewing their needs and goals. Based on a rich understanding of their needs and goals, it is appropriate to help them see the importance of some of your value-added capabilities that they may not have considered, thus influencing their decision criteria in your favor.
3. Work effectively with all the key players.
In complex selling, with many people representing different interests within the buying organization, it is imperative to understand the needs of each party and help coordinate efforts to find the solution that best meets the needs of the overall organization. This usually requires a bit of finesse to identify key decision makers, gain access, and make them feel their interests are being adequately represented. You need to identify informal influencers, who can be overlooked just by looking at the org chart. You need to understand their goals and political influence and help them see how it enables them to get what they want. It is imperative to identify those players who oppose your solution and neutralize their influence by working with their sponsors and supporters.
4. Show them how your solution provides the best value for the cost.
Finally, you need to help all buyers see how your solution best meets their needs and fits their decision criteria. In addition, you must show how your solution provides the best value, considering all costs, including the cost of transitioning to it. In larger deals, the process often culminates with a presentation of the final contenders. An important way to minimize resistance is to meet with each of the key players individually and make sure they see how your solution helps them get what they feel they need to achieve their goals.
Lack of any of these ingredients greatly decreases your chances of winning. It can have you speeding off the track and watching your competition slide across the finish line.