F E AT U R E
Three Deadly “C”s Are Draining Sellers’ Access and Influence By Jesse Laffen There are three forces at work in modern selling that are stifling revenues in B2B companies. Though they’re rarely spoken by name, the effects of these forces are extremely well-known. They pop up in conversation like this: “It doesn’t matter what we do, the best price always wins.” “I can’t get the right people to take a meeting” “It used to be a hot lead, but now I’m getting ‘ghosted.’” Today’s prospects have developed a routine method of buying that leads to statements just like these. They’re being caused by the Three Deadly Cs:
In order to understand why prices play an outsized role in your sale, you must understand how the human brain is wired to make decisions. Your prospects aren’t actually built to make the best decision, especially when the best decision is a difficult one. Instead, your prospect’s brain is looking to make the easy decision, but not because your prospects are lazy. The part of the brain responsible for keeping us alive is the part that makes most decisions. If it gets confused, it removes confusion rather than engaging more resources to figure things out. It’s just biology
• Commoditization: Sellers all sound the same, and prospects can’t tell them apart. • Compressed Selling Time: More and more of the purchase process is made without a seller in the picture. • Consensus Decision-Making: Prospects no longer have a single decision-maker, opting instead for decision-bycommittee.
You’ve likely seen this in action. A prospect tells you that they’re trying to get an “apples to apples comparison.” Instead, they’re removing complexity so they can make the easy call, the lowest price.
Prospects have been operating this way for a long time now. They have no incentive to change the rules. Option one is to respond, providing more value earlier in the sale. Option two is to resign, wait to be invited and compete on price alone.
Prospects commoditize us when we fail to reach that connection. We show up and say many of the same things as our competitors. Our differentiators never make a prospect think This is going to make a threat disappear.
Each of the Three Deadly Cs renders a different punishment upon today’s unprepared or ill-equipped seller. Understanding each one is the start to reversing the tide and gaining back access and influence in your sale.
COMPRESSED SELLING TIME What if we lived in a world where information had no value?
COMMODITIZATION What if the reason prospects buy based on price has nothing to do with savings?
But prospects that see you as the way to solve a priority won’t need to compare. They’re hungry, and your apple is the solution.
Years ago, winning deals was based on proximity and responsiveness. If a prospect wanted to learn about a product or a solution, they had to contact the companies selling it to gather information. Today? That’s no longer the case.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 [ 18 ]
