Prospects don't buy because of this.

Sep '23 in Content.

If you've been in sales for a while or you consume a lot of sales related content you'll hear this one a lot.

People buy from people.

My thoughts on this have changed over the past few years but one thing has remained the same, I don't buy into it.

People buy from people is what salespeople tell themselves to justify their very existence as a sales person. It's insecurity.

A lot of people got into sales because they are self-defined "people, people.' Whatever the fuck that means.

I might not know what it means but what I do know that most sales people over inflate their importance.

So people buy from people. Why don't I buy into it?

In a literal sense, it is true. When there is a prospect, there is a salesperson and a transaction is made. One person bought from the other.

The problem is, that is not how this statement is interpreted.

Most people interpret it as the prospect bought because of the sales person. The slick demo or presentation they delivered. How they answered all of the prospects questions, got them 'right' and impressed them throughout the process.

This is not why prospects buy. They buy for their reasons not because of how the sales person performed. They buy in spite of the sales person.

Let me give you an example of when people don't buy from people.

When I started out two years ago I needed a dialler to make calls from my laptop.

When I was shopping around I'd done a bit of research and settled on one product. If it could do what I thought it could do, I was going to buy it.

I got in touch and setup a call.

On that call the salesperson I was speaking with was very junior and only in their first or second week at the company. They couldn't answer any of the questions I had for them.

It was a shit experience but I could empathise with the sales rep, it was only their first or second week. We agreed she would go away and get the answers to my questions and then I can decide what to do from there. I needed a dialler.

When those answers came I was happy with them and we moved forward.

Now if people buy from people, I would have gone elsewhere, wouldn't I?

I had a shit experience.

I didn't I bought in spite of the sales person.

They could have been kermit the frog and I would have still bought this product because I believed and trusted that this dialler would do what I needed to do and I liked the payment terms.

Do people every buy from people?

Yes. When they are deciding to work with people like me.

I am the business, the salesperson, the product and the service all wrapped up into one.

Prospects don't necessarily have to like me to buy. They do have to trust that I am going to deliver their desired outcomes. And that is the most important thing.

I could be the best salesperson in the world but if they thought I wasn't a very good sales trainer. No deal Noel.

Before I wrap this up, there is one caveat.

It can go the other way. Some prospects might not buy if they have a really shit experience with a salesperson.

Even if they desperately need what ever product/service you provide. Out of spite they'd rather shop elsewhere than work with said sales person and their company.

The key thing to understand in all of this is that prospects have problems.

They need solutions to problems.

So our job as a salespeople is to find those that have problems, help THEM discover whether they need to do anything about it and find out whether our product/service is the best solution to their problem in that moment.

That is sales.

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