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Your buying vision needs to be closely linked to the specific customers you are looking to do business with. Create a vision in their minds about why they should buy from you.


It sounds like a cliché today, but there was a time when being in sales was like being on the hunt and customers were the big prize.

That’s simply no longer true. If anything (and forgive this one last use that shopworn term), the hunter has become the hunted.

Today, the buyers seek out the salespeople; but only when they’ve made the decision to buy, and often when they’ve also decided who they’re ready to buy from.

This shift dramatically changes how you ought to be managing your sales cycle. And the most surprising thing of all is that many businesses out there today continue to overlook this, acting as though nothing has changed.

Moving Towards a Buying Vision

Buyers today are better informed and better prepared about the products and services they’re interested in. This should come as no surprise.

One recent study found that over 80% of customers research products online before buying in-store. I know Chris and I do this with almost everything we buy personally and for the business!

With the swipe of a finger on their phone or tablet, we have access to a world of instant facts, comparative reviews, buying tips and more. If that array of resources online doesn’t include valuable information, resources, reviews, proof, pictures, or product data from your company, buyers are passing you by.

More than ever before, buyers are demanding to be an active part of the purchasing process—not just an endpoint in a transaction. That can only happen if you lay out a trail of bread crumbs online for them to find you (and not the competition).

That’s why it’s so important to invest in researched, well-written articles, product reviews, business cases, case studies, testimonials, how-to videos, podcasts, newsletters and more—all crafted to support a buying vision.

I covered those specific steps in Chapter 12 of my book, Non-Stop Sales Boom. So let me share with you my latest thinking on this, based on what I’m seeing in the marketplace today.

Your buying vision needs to be closely linked to the specific customers you are looking to do business with. Create a vision in their minds about why they should buy from you.

It must include a story that’s specific to each market and value proposition you’re seeking to attract.

It must make a clear case for the challenges your customer has, as well as the solutions you offer. And you must back it with clear, compelling results that you and your company have achieved.

Be strategic.

Make sure you invest in highly targeted placements online and offline as well as on your website. These could be on association websites, in publications your buyers read, and at conferences your buyers attend.

Ensure also that you have presentation, telephone, and email scripts that align with a vision that fits the buyer’s needs.

Prepare for meetings with prospects by having scripted questions designed to probe for pain points. These could be in their current work and in areas that they have already admitted interest in.

Creating a buying vision ensures that your prospects are more educated, informed, and enjoy a better experience.

It also plays a pivotal role in flattening the footpaths of pre-qualification and qualification into one big, well-paved street.

It pays to create a vision. Remember: collaboration is key to this new process in a new rules economy.

About the author

Colleen Francis

Colleen Francis, Sales Expert, is Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions. Colleen Francis…

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