Are You Selling to the Buyer or Just Processing Them?
From the Buyer’s Chair: What sales, service, and business development look like from the other side of the conversation.
I am far from perfect when it comes to sales. But I am passionate about it. I study it, learn from others, make mistakes, and keep looking for ways to improve.
Sometimes those lessons come from the other side of the conversation.
This summer slowdown gave me more time to pay attention to how different companies approach sales, and something caught my attention.
Some of the companies reaching out to me sell CRM, sales training, and sales support services. You would think these companies would be closely watching how buyers want to engage today.
But I experienced something that felt a little outdated.
Calendar invites. Suggested meeting dates. Multiple follow-ups.
The interesting part?
We had never actually had a conversation.
No discovery. No understanding of my role. No discussion about whether the service was relevant. And during prime selling hours, I was receiving multiple touches from a company that didn’t know I wasn’t the decision maker.
That got me thinking.
Even companies that specialize in sales can get caught up in the process. The CRM says send the next email. The sequence says schedule the next step. The activity report shows another touch.
But from the buyer’s chair, the question is pretty simple:
Do you understand who I am and why you’re reaching out?
Technology and automation can absolutely help sales teams. I use them too, and I am not suggesting anyone go back to a legal pad and a phone book.
But tools do not replace judgment.
Good business development still requires someone to pay attention, ask the right questions, and understand what is actually happening inside the account.
Because repeated activity does not always feel like persistence to the buyer.
Sometimes it just feels like being processed.
What is something you’ve experienced from the buyer’s side that changed how you sell?
#FromtheBuyer'sChair
Andrea Goodman
Appointments By Design
High-touch business development partner for B2B companies in facility services, trades, and beyond. We open doors to decision-makers—not just calendars.
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