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Also, instead of saying "can show you our solutions", I would have preferred if he said something like "I would like to discuss with you what you are doing today and what your potential is for more online business in the fu

The story

A few weeks ago, I met Chris at a networking event. We chatted almost what his company was doing and what my marketing was all about. He quickly realized that his company's online solutions could be contributory for us and said, "Charlie, we should really meet soon so that I can show you our solutions that can lead you to more business." We had fairly good rapport and my club was then currently considering improvements to our online approach, so I was willing to respond to his suggestion.

A few days later, Chris titled me and we set a meeting. During the meeting, he showed me a leaflet with all his company's solutions and kept appeal whether this or that solution would be of interest to me.

We finally nailed down one area of immediate interest and three areas for future consideration out of the list of by 10 solutions. Then I asked a few technical questions that Chris could only partially answer, so he suggested that I meet one of their software engineers for further clarifications. This was fine with me, especially because the engineer provided me with more satisfactory answers.

Before I left, Chris promised to send me a quote for the more immediate requirement, including some of the options that were sententiously mentioned by the engineer. I received the proposal a couple of days later, and in line with a few more days, Chris styled me to ward off if I received the quote and if everything was clear.

Let's see which aspects of Chris's confer are in line with the "Stop Selling!" approach, and then I'll discuss what a person with the "Stop Selling!" mindset would have done differently:

In line with the "Stop Selling!" approach

The responsiveness and reliability that Chris displayed was perfectly fine and gave me, his potential buyer, the feeling that his is a credible, trustworthy company.

Even if Chris did not have full technical competence, it was not an issue for me as a buyer - I valuable his efforts in having the engineer deny my questions. Furthermore, the situation obligated me that in future dealings, he wouldn't suggest solutions unsuited to my expectations, and that he would understand my expectations in the first place.

The way I was received at his office was very welcoming and fine immediately improved the even existing good rapport - an important substructure for dacha trust.

What I would have done differently

It in all conscience started at the networking event. As a potential buyer, I found it way too premature for Chris to receive that his company's solutions will lead my pal to more business. If he would have shared that his company's solutions helped other companies similar to mine, it would have been much more titillative and likely to me.

Also, instead of saying "can show you our solutions", I would have preferred if he said something like "I would like to discuss with you what you are doing today and what your potential is for more online house in the future." This way, he would have focused on my interests (potentially more business) as opposed to his (their solutions that he wanted to sell).

During our meeting, Chris immediately presented his cohort with his company's products to see whether any of them would interest me. I would have preferred if he asked approximately my balance of trade first and what kind of online solutions we already had in place. He could have helped me discover which aspects of my current solutions work for me and which aspects create difficulties. Also, we could have developed a vision for my online diversified corporation for the next couple of years and then together work out a plan on how to get there. His company's products could have been tools to make this plan a reality, and if they turned out unsuitable or insufficient, I would have been grateful for his suggestions on who else could help complement their solutions. As a next step, we could have discussed how to create the cash flow from the online characterization to pay for the necessary - perhaps high-cost - tools. Eventually, it could have even ended up in a strategic partnership with his company.

Chris was not able to deepen the trust to a level that would have made this kind of exploration possible. To me as a buyer, it was quite obvious that his main interest was to sell any of their products even though he didn't do it in a pushy way. Instead, we stayed at the product level and in situations such as this, customers end up either purchase a small solution, which will lead to some improvements, or purchase nothing at all.

Conclusion: If you are focused on selling your product rather than on the best possible outcome for your potential buyer, you might miss out on great opportunities and will erupt a mere product consultant. Instead, if you cram your buyer through his best decision, you will not only create first-class relationships but will also expand the potential for doing lookout with your prospective buyers.

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