When I’m buying new software, here’s (roughly) how I spend my time: 30% outlining internal use cases 30% building internal business case 10% corresponding with the AE 🤔 And the remainder of my time? 30% reading reviews & testimonials, and speaking with user references. For those keeping score at home, that's 3x as much time as I spend with the company's AE. ——— Ideally, these reviews & references are folks in a similar role to mine, at a company of a similar size. And the best salespeople are the ones who control this process. 🤝 They proactively make intros. 🔦 They spotlight the right reviews. 📚 They provide supporting collateral. 👌 They show that they understand me. Don’t sleep on this process. Make this happen and make your buyer’s life considerably easier. #revenue #sales
Yep, a classic buying journey -> 10% spent with the AE. The only way to expand that small window of influence is by shifting from being an Information Giver to a Sense Maker and Facilitator of the 90% of the journey that's not spent with you. It's also how you stay relevant in a reality where most buyers avoid salespeople.
You nailed it. Guiding buyers throughout the process and ensuring they have all the information they need is crucial in today's landscape. This saves the buyer time and makes the decision more effortless in the long run.
When I was a teacher, I used to think about this a lot. The center of attention should always be on the students. They have their own interests and needs, and my job was to guide them, provide the right resources, and support them. It's very similar in sales. The best salespeople are the ones who control this process, just as you said.
Would love to get you’re feedback on what we’ve built at stakki.io does this make that buyer research phase easier when buying sales tech? It’ll tell you what integrates with your crm and recommend based on region personas verticals channel preference etc. to give you an easier starting point
How do you feel about an AE interjecting themselves into this process when not invited? Meaning, helping you build and refine the internal use case.
This very much aligns with our recent research: buyers want more autonomy to do their own research and only need a salesperson to share the right info at the right time ☝️
I agree with this. The AE serves more as a consultant in today's age. We are living in a world where people wanted to use the product before speaking with the sales team.
References have an 80%-85% likelihood of influencing a B2B purchasing decision (Gartner), and yet most sales teams don't proactively offer references. Connecting prospects with references is one thing that reps can easily do to increase win rates.
This is such a humbling reminder that companies needs to invest in supporting material to help prospects make an informed decision. - Product Overview - Use Scenarios - Case Studies It also reinforces the importance of each interaction and creative rapport building opportunities.
Keeping social proof top of mind can be a game-changer! 💪