hi folks: sharon drew here. just wanted to add a slight bit of clarity to some of the conversations about my work and about Buying Facilitation. as sellers, we've been working for decades trying to problem solve so we can place product. but both are outside-in activities. the reality is that whoever and whatever helped the potentially solvable (by us) Identified Problem needs to be reconfigured before anything new (i.e.a product purchase) can happen.
Let's take something simple like a new hairstyle. unless you live on your own and don't care what your friends think, before you radically change your hairstyle you're going to ask friends and loved ones 1. what they think; 2. if they'd mind, 3. how you'd look. you would need to understand that the new 'do' would give you the look that you wanted,and that outsiders would see you in a certain way that you see yourself. so the decision is NOT about the hairstyle or the hairdresser or the scissors or the salon. it's an internal decision that has a certain set of criteria that is personal, unique, idiosyncratic and would never fully be understood by an outsider.
for decades we've closed no more than 7% (appx) of sales.that's because we can only find buyers who 1. are actively seeking exactly what we have....and have already gone through some of the internal decision making stuff they need to do anyway...; 2. are ready to buy. all of those folks who need our product but either don't know how to buy without making an internal mess, or aren't ready to buy for same reason, or don't even realize they need to do something different because they are so ingrained in maintaining the system they live within...
selling a solution is only the last phase of the sales cycle, and we've never been able to be involved with the first phase that buyers need to go through anyway. BuyingFacilitation codes the linear steps that buyers MUST GO THROUGH ANYWAY before they make a decision. they need to do this anyway - with you or without you. Buying Facilitation gives sellers the tools to teach buyers how to recognize and manage all of the aspects of the internal decision that need to be made - the people,politics, relationships, rules, roles, etc.
i'm giving the seller an entirely new job; a neutral navigator. first you help the buyer do this, then you can sell.]
one of the questions we asked while working with one of the large banks, while seeking interest for small business bankers who originally went to face meetings before using BF and then only going to those who were ready/willing to buy:
How are you and your decision team thinking about adding new banking resources for the time when you are going to need additional services that your current bank can't manage?
that is very different from 'selling' an appointment or a banking solution. it starts the conversation by helping buyers make the first decision they need to make anyway.
btw i'm teaching this material in a public training may 14-16 here in austin. you could potentially come to the first 3 days of the licening program i'm running - www.newsalesparadigm.com/austin_0507.htm.
let me know of interest. sdm@austin.rr.com
