If you are in sales you need to beware of the artificial buyer. At first glance you think they are the decision maker because of their title, or their clear ability to say "No!". But do they have the power to say "Yes!"?Very often these people even think they are the buyer. But in the end, someone else must approve the purchase.
This can cause big problems for sales professionals. If you do not treat these artificial buyers with respect, they can knock out your chances of ever getting the sale. But if you spend too much time with them, and never meet the real decision maker, you will have no influence on the prospect's decision.
You need to meet with and build rapport with the real buyer. This can be tricky, especially if the artificial buyer is not forthcoming with the truth and will not facilitate the introduction. (Often artificial buyers will try to block you, keeping themselves in the loop).
The best approach is to never rely on any one person inside a company. Always look for two, three or four contacts (including the CEO or some high level executive). The more people at various levels who know you, the better chance you have of winning the business.
Let you competition chase the artificial buyers. You are smarter than that!
Have A Great Day.
Thom Singer
www.thomsinger.com
thom@thomsinger.com
1 comment:
Your words ring a great bell. Authority within any organization is never measured by the ability to stop something from moving forward. People with that power are called "gate-keepers". The real choices are made by people that can say "yes".
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