Today, B2B buyers are busy, busy, busy... doing the work of multiple people. The last thing they have time for is a salesperson who takes a spray-and-pray approach: a generic presentation that's all about the product/service being sold.

Meanwhile, the buyer is thinking, I don't have time for this... What's in it for me?

Even if the salesperson makes the most rational argument about the product/service, he's set up to fail. That's because you can win the argument but still lose the sale; you need to persuade and convince, instead.

What's a seller to do? Get to know the buyer's key performance indicators (KPIs). Then, use relevant user stories to help identity the buyer's problem--and how others got to where the buyer now wants to go: in fact, you need to help the buyer discover where he wants to go.

The purpose of that approach is to help the buyer himself realize the cost of the status quo; if the buyer doesn't realize that there is a cost to maintaining the status quo, he's more than happy to maintain it. And, guess what: The status quo doesn't take you (the seller) into account.

Using scenarios relevant to the buyer's own business, you need to help the buyer visualize how your product/service can eliminate the cost of the status quo to his business.

Speaking of which, watch the video for a scenario of a clueless seller and a buyer who knows how he should be sold to:

Want more? See this MarketingProfs article: "How Mini-Stories Can Help Buyers Reject the Status Quo... and Embrace You."

Note: Newsletter image (Hair Care) is courtesy of Bigstock.