Hesitant Buyers? Aligning Your Solution to Corporate Initiatives

Executives have trepidation right now about purchasing decisions. There’s more scrutiny around where their investments are going. Right now, it’s even more important that you’re aligning your solution to a corporate-level initiative.

So, how do you attach yourself to a large enough business implication that also aligns with a corporate initiative and not a departmental one? Here are three things to keep in mind.

 1. What problems are you solving?

Look at the outcomes you are trying to drive. Ask yourself three questions: What problems am I trying to solve? What problem is the customer trying to solve? And how big is that problem?

I have found that too often sellers don’t take the time to ask those basic questions. Sellers tend to look at the surface level of the problem and say, “Okay, that’s a problem I relate to, and therefore I can switch and talk about my solutions.”

As a seller, it is important to stay away from the urge to jump to discussing your solutions before you understand what the problem is and how big the problem is. The only way you can align to a corporate-level initiative is to have the understanding of the challenges, requirements and desired outcomes related to that initiative.

 2. Always Dig Deeper

Always ask yourself how big the problem is and what the implications are. Are they technical problems or do they impact the corporate landscape as a whole? Keep in mind that even if you only know the departmental impact, it usually has a higher-level implication. Once you understand the high-level implications, you can sit in the “moment of pain” with the customer. Understanding the pain allows you to ask the hard questions and reverse engineer the problem.

I often draw a bullseye on a piece of paper with circles outside of it. I fill in the outer circles with what’s going on in the industry, or industry pressures. The next circle is what company pressures the industry pressures are creating. The next are departmental pressures that the company pressures are creating. Once you have identified these pressures, you have earned the right to discover the personal pressures. What I often see is sellers starting with the personal pressures before they have earned the right to ask about them.

If I’m talking to a technical buyer in software who is creating technical solutions that are impacting other departments (e.g., sales, finance, or external customers), I ask questions like:

• What feedback are you getting from the sales organization?
• What is the customer saying?
• What do they enjoy when working with you?

The trick is to sit with those answers and ask yourself “so what?”, especially if the answers are negative. Always identify the implications of those answers.

 3. Know your Economic Buyer

If you are selling a premium solution, you need to be talking to the people who have access to discretionary funds. This person, the Economic Buyer, has the power to release discretionary funds when the problem you are solving has a large enough business implication. They have power and authority in the organization. They can say yes when others say no. If you’re fighting for budget dollars within a company, you need to align with the strategic priorities and corporate initiatives they care about.

The best way to access your Economic Buyer is from someone inside the company. But don’t try to leapfrog your contact to get higher and wider. Your goal is to have your contact be emotionally connected enough to make the introduction for you.

Conclusion

The bottom line is, always understand the problem you’re solving. Ask yourself how big is the problem? Don’t skim the surface, always dig deeper. You need to align the problem with the big business issues your economic buyer cares about. If you follow the money, it will not only take you to the business issue but will lead you to the people with the power, influence, and responsibility to solve it.

Last, and perhaps most important, always prepare. Remember that it’s not about getting the meeting, but whether you’ll be welcomed back.  You get delegated to whom you sound like, and it takes preparation to make sure you are reaching the right people, with the right problems, and the correct messaging. If you follow these guidelines, you will be able to successfully align yourself with corporate initiatives.