And I know this because they told me!
Over the past couple of weeks, I had the pleasure and privilege of hosting and moderating the Insights Association’s Sales Accelerator Series. All the presenters were terrific, including the very insightful research buyers who participated in a panel discussion on the last day.
This year, we were fortunate to have three research team leaders, from three different FORTUNE 500 companies. The conversation (and questions from the attendees) covered a lot of topics, but through it all, three themes kept bubbling to the surface around what these buyers wanted when looking for new research vendors:
- Relevance
- Uniqueness
- New ideas
Let’s explore these…
Relevance
Bottom line: when you get a chance to talk with a research buyer, talk about their needs and challenges. Not what you want to talk about. Just because it’s important to you doesn’t mean it’s important to them.
But how do you know what to talk about? Do your homework first. Spend time on the company’s website and your contact’s LinkedIn profile. Ask lots of questions in your preliminary conversations. Go into that first real sales meeting ready to get into how you can help the buyer solve their problem (not provide them a laundry list of all the things your firm can do… they don’t care!).
Uniqueness
If you come to the table saying, “We’re a full-service research firm, “… well, you probably won’t even get invited to the table.
Bring something unique or different to the conversation… a new methodology, a new technology, a different way of conducting research.
Think about it from their perspective, if you do things just like their current suppliers, why would they ever consider switching to you?
New ideas
Last – and certainly not least – is bringing new ideas to the table. Just because the buyer has been doing their research a certain way for a few years, doesn’t mean that that’s what’s best for them. Push back a little, challenge them… show them a new way to achieve their goals. Every panelist on the call last week emphasized the value of this.
So, before you copy-n-paste what they’re currently doing into your capabilities presentation or proposal, spend some time looking for a different way to approach solving their problem.
Your recommendations will open the buyer’s eyes and put you and your firm in a different light – not just as another order-taker, but as a true adviser.
Conclusion
Trying to convince a prospect to ‘take a chance’ with you the first time is one of the hardest things to do in business. So, don’t go into it haphazardly… follow the ‘playbook’ that the buyers outlined above and provide them with the information they want.
Bonus note: All of the buyers also mentioned that they like Case Studies… those proof sources that show you can do what you say you can do. Make sure you have a few of those ready to share.
Good luck and good selling.