The BEST Customers Don't Need Sales or Sellers

What makes a good customer? One who can align the priorities of their key internal stakeholders, one who can fully uncover and then articulate what is required for an initiative to be successful and one who then can show the WIFM to all three categories of stakeholder HOW SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED.

Unfortunatly, most customers can't align priorities, understand requirements or establish criteria. And that is one of the primary reasons that Gartner reports that less that one percent (.8) of all major IT initiatives deliver to the original intended value (scope/time/resources).

So, I have to chuckle when I read "... through questioning, the best sales people are able to empower their buyers by giving them a vision to achieve goals, solve problems, and satisfy needs if they had the sellers offering."

Isn't it awfully presumptive that a seller is going to 1) get the appointment/audience with a buyer (will questioning get the appointment?), 2) earn the right to ask a series of questions, and 3) receive the "correct" answers to the questions? Going in with a "give to get" approach works 99.9% of the time to earn the right to the most productive collaboration with your "less than able" buyers.

Remeber, customers want and need your help to improve their odds of success beyond .8%. Initially going in with a series of open ended probing questions does little to help you stand out from the crowd. After all, your questions are not unique.... just like everyone else.