Understanding the buying mind-set

23rd April 2017 |   John Sharples

Understanding the buying mind-set

Three easy-to-remember quotes from buyers will help get you on their wavelength.

Let’s be honest: nobody likes being “sold to”. We like to think that we are controlling the buying cycle, whether it’s a personal purchase or a corporate procurement.

If we experience “blatant” or “clumsy” sales tactics, then we react badly; but, if we feel the salesperson is contributing to the process, then we can quickly come to respect it. If we think we are being “sold to” our instinct is to be on our guard, to be wary. Somehow being “sold to” doesn’t feel right and yet we experience this every day, and on most occasions, enjoy the benefits. So how do we differentiate between “blatant” and “clumsy” tactics versus something people appreciate?

Having undertaken numerous independent “win/loss” reviews and customer satisfaction (CSAT) programmes around the world, we have a degree of insight into the mindset of the buying community. During these interviews, buyers clearly articulated what they appreciate when buying goods or services and what they find distracting, or even worse, just plain annoying. Whilst we have numerous examples of each, they are neatly summed up by three quotes gathered during our interviews:

John Sharples

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John Sharples has 30 years’ experience in sales and business leadership, and has delivered substantial profit, revenue and cost base improvements in both the SME and corporate business sectors. His straight-talking style is direct, thought provoking and focused on successful business outcomes.
He has been in the front line of complex sales for many years and has a deep understanding of the processes that lead to successful sales outcomes. In 2010, he co-founded Practical Sales Processes (PSP), advising companies how to transform sales operations from an overhead cost into a key component of the revenue-generation engine.