Buyer Expectations – Cracking the Code

Different buyers, different styles and a different set of expectations each time.

How can you successfully navigate a challenge like that to earn more of your buyer’s business?

Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a ride-along with a few sellers from different industries to meet their buyers.

While the similarities between these sellers were few, their ultimate goal was the same: focus on the buyer’s business to help them make more money, make their job easier and make them look good.

You need to go further than filling their request for products for the current buy.

It requires a Purposeful Business Conversation.

We often see sellers shy away from initiating these conversations. We encourage our clients to ask the buyers about their businesses, such as where they are headed and future growth opportunities.

However, successfully engaging the buyer in this type of conversation can be easier said than done.

On my ride-along, I encountered three distinct buyer types that I am sharing with you so you can more easily initiate that all-important purposeful business conversation to reach your goal.

The first buyer type we encountered knew what he wanted. He was not shy about specifying his preferences and expectations, nor did he hesitate to tell us what it would take for a sales professional to move from good to great to gain more of his business.

The second group of buyers we met took a more relaxed approach to their meeting and they were eager to share what was happening in their business.

The third type of buyer tried to fit in a sales call wherever they could in their busy day.

These charts provide a detailed view of the different buyer types I met during my ride-along:

Buyer 1:

Meeting Stages	Timing	Buyer Environment
Strongly stated his expectations in:	Set for 1 hour	Made notes on paper during the meeting to scan into his system for future reference and next steps
Meeting preparation by the seller	Hard stop at 58 minutes when his receptionist called to say his next meeting had arrived	He felt the use of laptops during meetings showed a lack of engagement and distraction
Required printed agenda, provided in advance	Ended with a recap of next steps and scheduled next meeting	Face to face
Detailed proposal preferences	–	–

 

Buyer 2:

Meeting Stages	Timing	Buyer Environment
Two buyers and two sellers	Set for 90 minutes	Their facility was completely paperless
Buyers were excited to discuss the future of their business	Started off meeting the buyers and advised they had more time	No business cards exchanged
Shared a PowerPoint presentation on their future growth	Meeting went over by 70 minutes	Made notes on laptops

 

Buyer 3:

Meeting Stages	Timing	Buyer Environment
Transactional	5-10 minutes to meet with the seller, typically	Retail/Counter Sales
Service-focused meetings	Meetings were fit in when they had time in their day	Retail/Counter Sales
Volume vs. Price to increase margins	As a result of preparing an analysis in advance, the rep secured a longer meeting and with a senior decision maker who had the authority to make the necessary decisions. Rep secured a long-term program contract	Spent more time with Service Manager & GM

During the meeting with the two buyers (Buyer Type 2), the sellers intentionally asked about their business. These buyers were excited to share where their company was headed and it created more clarity around the meeting – not to mention another million dollars in business opportunities for these sellers.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Focus on your buyer’s business to help them make more money, make their job easier and make them look good. Share on X

Similarly, the seller from the third ride-along shared how he was proactive in preparing a numbers analysis to demonstrate to the buyer how much money he could save if he purchased more product. This resulted in him earning a bigger sale.

However, in the first case (Buyer Type 1), the rep did not provide enough information and it was not laid out in the format the buyer wanted. The buyer informed the rep that in order for him to make a decision, the rep needed to return with the information the buyer asked for and in the format he requested.

Voila! Just like that, taking the initiative and engaging in purposeful business conversations can make money for you and your buyer.

How do you make the most out of conversations with your potential buyers? Let me know in the comments.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]