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Sellers Need To Change How Buyers Do Their Maths

 

Guest articles > Sellers Need To Change How Buyers Do Their Maths

 

by: John Gorman

 

Buyers are obsessed with numbers. They quickly do the numbers on salespeople's quotes and proposals. There is a problem however. The calculator being used by buyers is often broken.

As far as most sellers are concerned, the only key actively used by today's buyers is the minus or subtract key. That is because for most buyers their only engagement with sellers around numbers is to cut price and slash margins. That is the maths challenge at the core of selling.

The challenge is to focus buyers on value, rather than just price. That requires getting the buyer do more multiplication or long division and less subtraction!

Business Results Require More Than Subtraction

No manager's business equation is so simple that it can be calculated with just the minus, or subtract key on a calculator. Results are not that easily got!

If subtracting is all that is going on then basic business math is being neglected, including the calculation of return on investment, or total cost of ownership. Most important business metrics – the metrics increasingly used by buyers to justify purchase decisions – require some element of addition, multiplication and long division.

The challenge is to fix the buyers broken calculator – to give the buyer a better way of arriving at the numbers that he, or she needs.

You Need A Calculator To Improve Your Negotiating Position

Although while the buyer's calculator may be broken, at least they have one. Many sellers don't. That is a real problem. To sell to and negotiate with today's numbers obsessed buyers you absolutely need a calculator. You cannot move the conversation from price to value without it!

The principle maths challenges faced by sellers are:

  • To justify your price
  • To demonstrate a lower total cost ownership
  • To calculate your value.

These so called maths challenges are no simple matter, it is advanced algebra so to speak precisely because even at the best of times the buyer will struggle to accept the answer, or the method by which it is calculated.

Sellers must encourage their buyers to do the maths, but to do better maths too! They must provide their customers with a better; calculator, spreadsheet and business case. Otherwise a compelling argument for the purchase of their solution cannot be demonstrated.

 


John O' Gorman is founder and CEO of The ASG Group (http://theasggroup.com) a specialist Business to Business sales firm who helps B2B sales people increase the likelihood of closing by up to 30%. The ASG Group uses its ground-breaking research into modern buying practices to help sales team selling to complex/demanding buyers and procurement executives. John is author of a number of books including The B2B Sales Revolution (http://b2bsalesrevolution.com), QuickWin B2B Sales and is in the process of writing a book on the 12 megatrends in buying that affect sales success. John also publishes articles on the Buyer Insights (http://buyer.sellerinsights.com) portal.


Contributor: John Gorman

Published here on: 21-Oct-12

Classification: Sales

Website: http://buyer.sellerinsights.com

MSWord: Price Negotiation - The Buyers Broken Calculator.doc

 

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

 

 

Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

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© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed