From the Buyer's Chair
What sales looks like from the other side.
I spend most of my day thinking about business development from the seller’s side. But some of the best sales lessons I’ve learned have come from sitting on the other side of the table.
So, I’m starting a new series about exactly that.
Recently, I had several companies reach out to me offering CRM support, sales training, and other sales-related services. Which made what happened next a little ironic.
Before we had any meaningful conversation, I started receiving calendar invites, suggested meeting times, and follow-up messages asking me to schedule.
The problem was simple: they didn’t actually know who I was.
They didn’t know my role. They didn’t know whether I was the decision maker. They didn’t know if what they were selling was relevant to me.
But the process was moving right along anyway.
And that’s where sales teams can get themselves into trouble.
A CRM is useful. Automation is useful. Sequences are useful. I use technology too, and I’m not suggesting anyone go back to a legal pad and a Rolodex.
But technology is supposed to support the sales process, not replace judgment.
If your system is telling you to move someone to the next step before you’ve learned enough to know whether there should even be a next step, you’re not really progressing the sale. You’re progressing the workflow.
There’s a difference.
Good business development still requires someone to pay attention, ask the right questions, and understand what’s actually happening inside the account.
Because from the buyer’s chair, repeated activity doesn’t automatically feel like persistence.
Sometimes it just feels like you’re being processed.
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.
Learn More
Comments