Sales Process vs. Buying Process

by Benj Miller | Jan 24, 2023

Everyone would love to improve their “sales process.” We all get enamored with the idea of a “six-figure funnel” that will drive sales in our sleep.

These rarely, if ever, deliver…and when they do in the B2B space, they are often never as linear as we’d hope.

One of the fundamental issues we run into is building the sales processes around ourselves, our products and our perspective.

If you’re analyzing a clunky or broken sales process and asking, “how do we get them to the next step?” You’re asking the wrong question.

So, how do you fix a broken sales process?

Stop trying. Instead, serve their buying process.

We should think about what our prospects and customers need from us in their decision to buy.

If we map that, then we can figure out how to serve them in each step.

When we focus on their needs and help them over hurdles, they see us as allies in their decision instead of another person trying to sell them something.

If our goal is new relationships with mutually high lifetime value, then we need to make sure they are making the best decision possible as a buyer. The first step in mapping a “buying process” is asking great questions that are about understanding where that prospect is in their process, what they are looking for, and what would be helpful to them at that moment.