Buyer Advocacy: Dare to be Different

Have you ever lost a deal you just knew was in the bag? Have you ever had a client tell you “yes, yes, yes” right up to the point of signing, to then lose the deal? Have you ever had a client give you the “call me next week” or “call me next month” lines? Have you ever become frustrated because it seems like it takes forever for a client to make a decision? Have you had to learn or use the term “purchase by committee?” How can you make these problems go away? How can you differentiate yourself? Before some of these questions can be answered you must first understand what has changed.

To say that today’s telephony space is competitive is an understatement. Most of you are fighting for sales that only gain pennies on the dollar and have ever decreasing margins. It is vitally important that you understand the end users’ environment as well as their ability or lack thereof to make decisions. The decision making process has been altered forever by a number of factors over the last eight years. The first debacle of the new millennium was the anticipated Y2K crash! MIS and IT directors around the world spent their entire telecom budgets for not only 2000 but 2001 and 2002 to pay for upgrades and new equipment to avoid the expected crash of 2000. We all soon found out that the only thing that held true for everyone is that they spent a lot of money!

Then we had the tragedy of 9/11, a day in history that forever changed every American, our attitudes, and the way we did things. Post 9/11 many companies found themselves with insurmountable financial problems and went under. A great number of companies were forced to cut budgets and many times it was the telecom departments that took the hit. They had to fire staff to keep the doors open. In most of those cases it was the voice employees that were let go and the data or IT folks were kept on to manage the network. Now more telecom executives have expertise in data and far less in voice. Next is Enron, the story of greed, bad guys and no consideration for their employees. I thought at the time Enron had become the icing on our cake of disasters, which then did breathe life into the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Now in 2008 our economy is teetering on a tightrope as we all hold out breath to see what happens next. Getting anybody to spend money today unless there is immediate impact or ROI is virtually impossible.

Those who once upon a time could sign your contracts cannot do so any longer. Getting a verbal agreement and having it mean anything is simply a ghost of deals from the past. With more data than voice folks managing departments you see individuals that are more analytical and take far longer to make decisions. There is far more purchasing by committee then ever before.

So how are you going to get in the door, make the pitch and close a sale before all your hair turns gray? You must differentiate yourself and become a buyer’s advocate, consultant, confidant, shoulder to cry on – a partner! No more one call close. Gone are the days of sign here Mr. or Mrs. Customer, and by the way press hard because there are three copies.

End users today are much smarter then ever before. They will do business only with someone who takes time to understand their world. They struggle daily with increased work loads and fewer staff to get the job done. One of the most common replies we hear from end users is “I don’t have enough time.”

End users have to understand what they are buying and what it will do for them. Remember WWIFM (what’s in it for me)? You have to now be able to articulate to the end user not only what your product will do for them, but also for their company. More often than not you have to use your contact person as your cheerleader who will take your package or promotion up the ladder. You need to listen more then you talk. These end users are tired of hearing, “mine is better, faster, cheaper, bigger,” and so on and so on. They are not motivated by cost any longer. They are motivated by quality, service after the sale, and someone who will be there to take their call. I have dealt with thousands of end users over many years and the biggest disappointment I hear from them is how many rep changes they had. I would hear “I had a great guy or gal that really took care of me; now they are gone and I can’t get anything done.”

You have to care more than ever about customers and their environment. It is one thing to say you care, but another altogether to show it. You also have to investigate more to determine who the true decision maker is. Have you noticed that your deals now take longer to close if they close at all because more times then not you are spending time with someone who cannot make a decision? They may be a good influencer or cheerleader, but will never be the one to sign your contract. Many companies have re-written their purchasing policy now to the point that it takes multiple approvals to get a deal signed. Don’t take any of this wrong; end users still need to make purchases. What has changed is how many people may be involved in that decision making process, and also how much information they need before they can or will sign the contract.

If you are selling dial tone, have you ever sat down with a client and looked over a phone bill? Are there some things wrong with their bill? Is that bill from your company? Might you be able to fix their problem? Do you have any idea how far that would go with a client?

Clients do not want you to jump through hoops all day long. They want you to take time first understand their environment, and then to help them understand why your products or services would be beneficial. If you do anything less you are selling nothing more then a commodity and you will always get beat up over pricing by whoever had the last opportunity with that client. He who prices last in the commodity battle always wins.

I’ll leave you with this last thought that I have shared with my sales teams for many years and ask that you take just a moment to stop and let it sink in. A customer will never make a purchase that is larger then the size of the relationship! IP

J. Scott Levy is director of customer acquisition – enterprise division for AOTMP. He can be reached at slevy@aotmp.com.