Earlier this year, I interviewed a couple of research buyers around the topic of how they connect with and buy from their agency partners. They were (and still are) among the most read blogs I’ve ever posted. Well, as a result of hosting & moderating the Insights Association’s Summer Sales Webinar Series last month – and attending the Quirks NY Event – I’ve added a few more interviews to the list. I hope you find value in their perspective…
Name: Jen Lovinus
Title: Senior Manager, MRO Insights
Company: Grainger
Years at company: 3
Jen, thanks again for doing this. Let’s start the conversation around marketing content. Does content (blogs, case studies, white papers, etc.) help to influence your perception of a supplier or your buying decision? Absolutely! I am always on the lookout for ways to learn in this ever-changing industry. I am frequently saving and sharing content with my peers. I also like to reference things that I have saved when projects come along. I may not be working on something that ties to a specific white paper right now, but I could be down the road, and I like to have a reference library of materials to look through when projects come up or to get ideas.
And what about social media? Do you engage with suppliers on LinkedIn, and does their presence even matter? I do and their presence does matter to me. I follow suppliers on LinkedIn and I read what they post, especially industry articles and posts regarding events they are attending. It helps to show me how knowledgeable they are in the space, especially industry specific articles/documents they post. You don’t have to give away trade secrets but show that you are someone that I can trust and want to work with. I want to see that they are participating in industry events and doing their part to help make the industry better versus just trying to make another sale.
What are the top three research conferences or events that you (or your colleagues) attend each year? What about events in your industry vertical? Unfortunately, budgets are tight for me to attend conferences annually, so I try to focus on webinars that are offered throughout the year. I believe quality webinars can bring so much value and attend then whenever possible. They really allow you to learn on an ongoing basis as well as make new connections. The only conference I am able to attend is the CRC when it is in Chicago because it is so close to me. I love being able to attend the various sessions they offer and see all the suppliers. It is a great mix, and I have found it valuable!
Jen, what are the top three research publications or online sites that you (or your colleagues) read or visit frequently? What about publications in your industry vertical? For research publications, I tend to focus on Quirks Magazine, Greenbook Newsletter, and Inside Insights email regularly. For publications within my industry, I focus on MDM Update, an email that gets sent out specific to the Distribution Market. I find these to have the most consistent materials that I can use and reference.
I’ve always felt a good vendor website is critical for buyers. What’s the role of a vendor’s website in your supplier selection process? I like to be able to get a feel for their capabilities on my own via their website. If I cannot tell what they do and the services they offer by looking at their site, I am skeptical. It shouldn’t be buried or require a full-blown meeting to learn these things. I should be able to quickly tell if they have a solution I want or need. Suppliers should put time and energy into promoting who they are via their website. You should immediately get a feel for their brand, who they are and what they do.
Let’s talk about a vendor’s sales process… what should vendors do to catch your attention and absolutely not do to lose it? I appreciate when the salesperson does their research before reaching out and customizes their message. Take the time to understand what my company does and what I do. Make sure that you have a solution that matches versus throwing darts at a dart board. The generic messages are very frustrating and feel like they are just trying to hit their monthly targets versus truly trying to develop a potential partnership with a new client. There are two big things that really frustrate me, and I would consider a Do Not Do. The first is making a connection via LinkedIn with the claim that you just like to ‘make connections with fellow like-minded individuals in the industry’ but then immediately hit me up for a meeting to pitch to me if I accept your connection. The second thing is sending me a calendar invite without checking with me. I have had several salespeople just send an invite without ever having met with me before and put in the invite that we can “adjust the day/time” if needed. It is very presumptuous to send someone a calendar invite when you have never met them before and it is a quick way for me to not want to do business with a company.
What’s the best way for a vendor sales rep to proactively reach out to you so you actually connect with them? For me, it goes back to doing your research and knowing the right solution for what I do along with being patient throughout the process. I may not get back to you right away because you end up in my spam folder or I am swamped with projects. Customizing your message and taking the time to know what I need shows that you have taken the time to understand what I do and what my company does. My research suppliers become true partners to me and how they show up the very first time they reach out sets the tone for how we will interact with each other. If you can’t put your best foot forward before you have my business, how will you be with me once you have my business?
Do you ever react positively to ‘cold emails’ or ‘cold calls’ from suppliers? If so, what messaging resonates with you? I do sometimes react positively to ‘cold emails’ if they are well written and thoughtful. I don’t have a ‘company number’ (yes, I know that may seem odd but it’s how my company works) so cold calls don’t work for me at all because you are calling my personal number and I am not sure how you even got it. I prefer to receive personalized email messages that do not sound generic like the same one is being sent out to 100 people at the same time. I know salespeople have quotas, but some messages are very generic and say something like “15 minutes for coffee?”. What am I supposed to do with that email? I don’t know what you do or how you can help me, or my company so why would I set up time with someone when I have no idea what we will be talking about. Tell me who you are, who your company is, and how you think your solution can fit into what I do. Sell me on why I should meet with you and learn more.
Ideally, what do you want to see a capabilities presentation? I want to understand the services you provide as a company, what sets you apart from the competition, and how our company can benefit from the work that you do. How can you elevate the work that we are doing or bring something new to what we do? I am not going to change for the sake of changing, so I need a compelling reason to make a switch or add in a new vendor to the mix. Wow me with what you and your company can do, show me how you will show up and be prepared to provide examples and/or case studies to help articulate what has been done for other clients. I realize you can’t give me a full demo out of the gate and show me everything but help paint the picture for me so I can understand early on if this is going to work or not.
Similarly, what constitutes a really good proposal? It includes all the must-haves and shows that you listened to what we laid out as being important to us. Ultimately, the must haves need to be met and then you can provide various recommendations or show additional options for consideration. I typically have stakeholders that require certain must haves, so I cannot just opt to ignore certain components. If I list something as a non-negotiable, please understand that and don’t think you can work around it. Be honest in what you can and cannot do. Eventually during the process, we will learn if you are not able to meet a need that you said you could, so it will just look bad and potentially ruin a potential partnership in the long run.
Jen, what triggers your search for a new supplier… or do you always keep your eyes open, just in case? Bringing on new suppliers is a very lengthy process for my company, so I try to keep my eyes open for new capabilities every year to make sure we have options available when new requests come up. The worst position for me to be in is not having a supplier option when a certain request comes in because that means a project cannot be completed and a stakeholder is left unhappy. There are times we have gone to RFP because we need to make a vendor change but those times are less often.
And when selecting a new supplier, how involved are your marketing and brand teams? They are honestly not involved at all. They trust me as the subject matter expert and expect me to make the right choice in who I am using to conduct research for them. I always provide them with details on the supplier so they know who is conducting it and their background/credibility but they are very hands off in the process.
Last question, Jen… if you were to give just one piece of advice to research agency salespeople, what would that be? Be patient and be nice. You would be shocked to know how mean and disrespectful some people have turned if I don’t reply to them quickly enough or if I say their product does not meet our needs. My emails go through some intense spam filters so I may not get them for a couple of weeks so please don’t assume I was ignoring you and start sending me additional emails with increasing frustration. I may not be the right person you are reaching out to so please don’t be upset when I tell you I cannot help you because my work does not use that kind of technology. If I do set up time with you realize that the process could be long if we decide to look into your product/service. Nothing will happen in a couple of months and even if we opt to bring you on as a supplier, chances are that it will be to add you to our Master List of approved vendors first and not to have you start on a project right away because the process to add a new supplier takes well over 6 months to complete.
Jen… thanks for some terrific insights inside the mind of a buyer. I know the agency-side folks in our industry will really appreciate it.