Ambushed Part 2
by Andrew Shedden
Once you’ve properly set the stage for your sales meeting you will feel the tension in the room drop. After the stage is set they will be expecting a show. You are going to give them a show, a show of respect.
When is a title meaningless?
In virtually any situation where you have to sell to a group you need a failsafe way of identifying the key players. These key players, or buying influences, often come with very deceptive titles. Never assume you have identified the key influence by virtue of the fact that you know the person with the title of buyer. I have been involved in many selling situations where a seemingly innocuous administrative assistant wielded the real power in the company.
Identify the key players
Your first course of action is to identify four buying influences within the group. There may be more than four individuals who fit into the four classifications. The only way to find out is by asking questions of reach group member, listening carefully, and writing down the answers.
For purposes of illustration lets assume you are trying to sell the Monolithic Food Corporation a new type of food packaging machine. The buying influences are listed in totally random order.
Technical buyers
The first buying influence to watch for is the technical buyer. These individuals are very concerned with the technical aspects of what you are presenting to the company. Their major preoccupation is whether the product or service you are proposing will meet the specifications. They are well practiced and adept at screening out anything that isn’t “up to spec.”
When you are asking a technical buyer questions about their concerns they typically respond by asking you for technical specifications. They may want to know how many millibars of vacuum your machine develops at sea level. They may want to know if it meets the ISO 9002 specifications. They may be concerned that your new food packaging machine meets all of the current food handling specifications. Technical buyers can be, but are not restricted to being: engineers, technicians, plant mangers, or maintenance people.
User buyers
The next buying influence you need to identify is the user buyer. The user buyers are primarily concerned with how this purchase will affect performance within their company. They are going to have to work with the end result of the purchasing decision.
User buyers would want to know how fast you can clean up your food packaging machine, how quickly you can change the packaging material, and how long it takes to maintain the machine for every 1,000 hours of operation. User buyers can be, but are not restricted to being, foremen (forepeople, forepersons, and forethinghies), plant supervisors, shift supervisors, and production executives.
Economic buyers
The third buying influence in a group selling situation is the economic buyer. The economic buyer is the one who has the authority to authorize the release of funds for the purchase. In many cases there will be someone in the group posing as the economic buyer without the real clout. In any group many people can say no but ultimately only one person can say yes. You must be very careful in identifying the true economic buyer.
Economic buyers are predominantly concerned with the economic realities of your business solution. They will want to know about the return on investment being offered with your food packaging machine. These people know their figures, so you better know yours.
The coach
The last buying influence to look for is the coach. The coach is the person who brought you into the business or who has been assigned to guide you through the process. In many instances the coach really wants to see you succeed. This person can save you a great deal of time and heartache by helping you to navigate through the company.
It’s important to remember that if you skip over even one buying influence or ignore any crucial information you will not get the sale. Titles don’t necessarily correspond to true power within a group. In my experience identifying and listening to the four buying influences and incorporating their concerns is the best way to sell a group.
To find out more about buying influences
I heartily recommend you buy a copy of The New Strategic Selling by Stephen E. Heiman, Diane Sanchez, with Tad Tuleja. The above newsletter on buying influences is based on the theories contained within their book. I utilize many of their theories in my own sales practices and the book is a classic. I have never been in a situation where following this process didn’t reduce stress and maximize the probability of success.
