Although some salespeople were expecting a magic bullet or access to the secret code for doing business with these folks, most were amazed at what the panel of purchasing managers had to say. Even though the panel consisted of managers from different industries and markets, they all had very similar needs/requests for the salespeople who are calling on them.
This week, we'll focus on what I refer to as the three "Ps" that are important to purchasing managers. Through the course of the panel discussion, the qualities or approaches purchasing managers are really looking for became obvious. Although these are all pretty basic concepts, the purchasing managers said that most of the salespeople that call on them do not complete these tasks.
Planning
One purchasing manager said, "I don't have time to tell you the history of my business, our goals, objectives, market share, etc. We have a website that is full of that information. When someone contacts me for the first time and asks basic questions like this, I push them off. It tells me they don't care enough about our business, and that is not something we are looking for in a partner. On the other hand, when someone calls and starts the conversation off by mentioning something specific about our company or industry, because it rarely happens, I will give them an appointment every time."
The sad part is that the other purchasing managers basically said the exact same thing. I personally think this is such a rarity because there is so much outdated sales training material that instructs people to do the opposite — to ask these basic questions as a rapport-building tactic.
The truth is that that tactic does not work anymore. Of course it is a good idea to ask questions related to specific issues to delve deeper; however, basic questions don't get you through the door. A good rule of thumb is "If the information is on a company's website, don't ask a question about it." You should know the answer already.
So where do you go for information? Here is a list of ideas:
- Your customers' or prospects' websites.
- Hoover's or Dun & Bradstreet (D&B actually owns Hoover's). These companies specialize in company information. Their websites can be found at www.hoovers.com and www.dnb.com.
- InfoUSA (www.infousa.com).
- The public library. Did you know you can get the same information at the library for free that you can get from InfoUSA? This is the biggest, best-kept secret and the most underutilized resource. Your tax dollars pay for the service, so why not use it? Plus, most libraries are now online, so you don't even have to leave your office.
- Business publications (e.g., Investor's Business Daily, Inc., Fortune, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, etc.).
- Industry associations and trade journals.
The point is that if you want to get through the red tape, gatekeeper, or whatever else you want to call it, you need to do a little bit of planning. At one point in time, we interviewed some top sales professionals, and one common practice that was a consistent habit for each of them (even with customers they had been calling on for 10-plus years) was completing a call-planning worksheet. If you don't have one, feel free to grab one of ours at the VantaEDGE website under "Free Tools."
Perception
One purchasing manager made the comment, "Some salespeople think our job is just to beat down their price. Many of them try to call on folks in upper management or to avoid us altogether."
There are two situations here. The first one relates to pricing. Put yourself in the place of the purchasing manager for a moment. If you are responsible for keeping a production line supplied with product, is pricing your primary concern? Since purchasing managers are responsible for getting the best value and controlling costs, the perception is that the only way they can do this is by getting lower prices.
In fact, that is not the case. They look at total cost (e.g., risks of downtime, delivery options, payment terms, global/regional sourcing, etc.). There is a lot more to the value equation than price alone. The key point to realize here is that you have to understand what is important to the customer. You can have all the features and benefits in the world, but they are of no value to the customer unless he or she tells you that.
The second situation the purchasing manager alluded to is the "top-down" strategy — making that call to a person as high up as you can go in an organization. I firmly believe in having strong relationships at all levels within the organization. The point that this purchasing manager makes is very valid. It is true that many salespeople call on a CEO in order to try to get the CEO to force the purchasing manager to buy a product or service.
This may work in the short term, but guess what happens in the long run? You have just given the purchasing manager a new mission in life: to find a new supplier. People do not like to have things forced on them, not to mention that this makes the purchasing manager feel like the CEO or president does not feel he or she is doing a good job. To avoid these situations while maintaining and establishing relationships throughout the organization, don't ignore the purchasing manager.
Partnering
My favorite quote that came from this discussion panel was "Our vendors are our partners. We cannot survive without them, and it is too costly to change just to save a little on the initial price."
The reason I like this quote so much, and feel it is so important, is that it describes the current situation of our marketplace. So many salespeople focus on price when price is not the real issue. Most companies today are running extremely lean. The cost and hassle of changing (even for small businesses) is overwhelming, not to mention the concern or risk associated with changing suppliers.
However, the salespeople that are able to meet the needs of their customers, overcome the risks, and provide value and continue to do so have opportunities to gain customers for life. Doesn't the term "partner" sound a lot better than the word "vendor"? Well, in reality, a partner is what purchasing managers really want. And believe it or not, companies are always looking for good partners that can make their jobs easier and help to impact their bottom lines.
Summary
The comments and feedback from the purchasing managers should not be surprising, because for everyone from top sports athletes to elite business professionals, mastering the basics is always the key to success.
The acid test for sales professionals is knowledge of and practice of the basics. There are tools out there to help us, but there are no magic leads or tactics that will do our jobs for us. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones that have been proven to work, rather than those that seem to be the latest trends.
About the Author
Henry Pellerin is the president and founder of VantaEDGE™ Inc. and co-author of The Strategic Selling Process. VantaEDGE™ Inc. provides customized sales training, consultation, and facilitation services. Henry personally has had more than 17 years of experience in sales, sales management, and business development, and he shares his expertise with clients to help them receive the same results he has attained year after year.
You may want to sign up for the VantaEDGE™ monthly sales tips newsletter, VantaEDGE Monthly, from which you'll receive valuable selling tips each month along with the special report "Avoid the Top 10 Selling Mistakes That Lose Sales." To do so, visit www.vantaedge.com. Henry can be reached at 864-254-9300 or via email at henry@vantaedge.com.
