What buyers expect from salespeople

I wanted to share a recent post of mine in response to the following question:

What are customers looking for most from a relationship with a salesperson?

The Boyens Group has interviewed over 3,500 companies and during the interview process asked them what salespeople do that they like, what salespeople do that they hate and what salespeople could do better. Their responses can be broken into four specific quadrants. Buyers expect salespeople to demonstrate:

1. Business Awareness (understand basic business functions, know the industry and understand their customer’s world including their terminology)
2. Product Application Knowledge (use a consultative sales approach, focus on their needs and not someone who pitches products)
3. Interpersonal Skills (someone who is credible, sincere, trustworthy and competent)
4. Sales Professionalism (someone who is organized, efficient and a salesperson that follows a consistent process)

The bottom line is this…the buyer is in control so the salesperson needs to build a relationship that enables their buyer to buy!