People Don‘t Like Buying From You: 6 Ways to Sell Anyway

It‘s an adage as old as sales itself: "People buy from people." The idea is that given the choice, buyers will always prefer to purchase from another human being they know, like and trust.

But in the age of Amazon, Netflix, and Slack, is this still true? Do buyers really want to deal with sales reps, or do they prefer the convenience of self-service and on-demand purchasing?

As a sales leader who‘s worked with hundreds of teams, I‘ve seen firsthand how buyer preferences have shifted. The hard truth is, people don‘t like buying from you. At least, they don‘t NEED to buy from you anymore. But that doesn‘t mean sales reps are obsolete. Far from it.

Here‘s the reality check on "people buy from people" in 2023, and 6 ways you can adapt your sales approach to stay relevant and valuable to modern buyers.

The Rise of Self-Service B2B Buying

There‘s no denying that B2B buying behavior has fundamentally changed in the digital age. Buyers today do far more independent research online, relying less on sales reps to guide their journey.

Consider these statistics:

• B2B buyers spend only 17% of their total buying time meeting with potential suppliers. (Gartner)
• 33% of all buyers desire a seller-free sales experience – a preference that climbs to 44% for millennials. (Gartner)
• 57% of the purchase decision is complete before a customer even calls a supplier. (CEB)
• By 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. (Gartner)

The takeaway is clear. Many B2B buyers today, especially digital natives, prefer to research and buy on their own, without the "help" of sales reps.

This shift has only accelerated with the pandemic driving more business online. A recent McKinsey study found that 66% of B2B decision makers now prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service.

The Psychology of "People Buy from People"

So does this mean the old "people buy from people" adage no longer applies? Not exactly.

Even as more buying journeys go digital, there are still strong psychological reasons why buyers prefer to purchase from other humans they know and trust:

1. Trust & Credibility: We‘re wired to see other people as more trustworthy than faceless companies. A real person puts a face to the brand.

2. Emotional Connection: Humans crave personal connection. We want to do business with people we like and connect with.

3. Accountability: When something goes wrong, it‘s easier to hold a person accountable than a corporation. Buyers want to know someone will make it right.

4. Tailored Help: People believe an actual human can understand their unique needs and offer customized solutions better than a generic website or bot.

So the desire to buy from people didn‘t go away. The bar has just been raised. If buyers are going to invest time interacting with sales reps, it has to be worth it. The rep needs to add more value beyond what the buyer could get on their own.

6 Ways to Add Value as a Sales Rep in 2023

The new reality for sales reps is quality over quantity. You may have fewer chances to interact with buyers, so you need to make each touchpoint count by being genuinely and uniquely helpful.

Here are 6 strategies to do just that:

1. Be a Knowledgeable Advisor, Not Just a Vendor

Your buyers are drowning in information. They don‘t need you to push products. They need help making sense of all their options and confidently arriving at the best solution.

To do this, you need deep knowledge, both about your own offerings and the buyer‘s business. Do your research. Understand their industry, company, role, and challenges.

Bring unique insights to the table, based on your experience with similar customers. Connect the dots for them and offer a point of view, even if it doesn‘t always map to your solution. Establish yourself as a trusted advisor who can help them cut through the noise and make the best decision.

2. Personalize Every Interaction

Show buyers you‘ve done your homework. Reference details about their company, role, or recent events. Mention commonalities to build rapport. Tailor your messaging to their specific needs and priorities.

For example, imagine you sell marketing automation software. You see your buyer recently Tweeted an article about improving lead quality. You could share a relevant case study on how your solution helped a similar company generate better leads, with a note like:

"Hi Sarah, I saw your recent post about improving lead quality and thought you might find this case study helpful. It shares how Company X was able to generate 50% more marketing qualified leads using our software. Let me know if you‘d like to discuss further! -John"

Buyers get dozens of generic sales emails per week. Personalized outreach like this shows you‘ve made an effort to understand their world, and offers unique value.

3. Provide Consultative Insights

Don‘t just sell your product or service. Sell your expertise and experience. Be consultative in your approach.

For example, let‘s say you‘re meeting with a new Chief Revenue Officer. Congrats on landing the meeting! But don‘t launch into a generic pitch.

Instead, ask about their goals and challenges. Listen carefully. Then, based on your experience with dozens of other CROs, share some patterns you‘ve seen and offer relevant advice – not just about your solution, but about their overall revenue strategy. Maybe even connect them with another CRO you know at a similar company.

You want them to come away thinking "Wow, that was super helpful. I want to keep talking to this person." Not just "Okay, sounds like an decent product, I‘ll consider it."

The more you can frame yourself as an experienced consultant who just happens to sell a solution, the more valuable and differentiated you become in the eyes of the buyer.

4. Make the Experience Effortless

A frustrating reality of B2B buying is how much work it is for the buyer. Gartner found that 77% of B2B buyers say their latest purchase was very difficult.

Be the easy button for your buyers. Simplify their journey in any way you can. This could mean:

• Providing detailed, accurate, easy-to-digest information about your offerings
• Quickly getting them any resources they need, like case studies, references, or technical docs
• Helping them build consensus by arming them with assets to convince other stakeholders
• Smoothly guiding them through legal, security, and procurement processes
• Being responsive and easy to reach when questions come up

The easier you can make the experience, the more likely they are to buy from you and sing your praises to other potential customers.

5. Be an Authentic Partner, Not Just a Salesperson

Enterprise SaaS review site G2 found that one of the top factors driving buyer trust is treating the buyer as a partner, not just a potential sale.

From your first touch to implementation and beyond, show genuine care for their success. Be proactive about sharing resources, advice, and market intel. Help them navigate challenges, even ones unrelated to your solution.

Imagine you‘re an account executive who just helped a client go live with your software. You could just check in once a quarter and wait to renew them.

Or, you could schedule a monthly call where you share adoption best practices from other clients, offer advice on issues they‘re facing, and even connect them with other helpful partners and resources in your network.

This kind of authentic, human partnership builds rare loyalty and trust. The buyer knows you‘re on their team and will advocate for their needs, even if it doesn‘t directly benefit you. You become more than a vendor – you‘re a valued partner.

6. Embrace Digital Selling (Without Losing the Human Touch)

With so many buying interactions happening online, sales reps need to embrace digital channels while still keeping things personal. A few ways to do this:

• Video prospecting: Record short, personalized videos to introduce yourself, respond to a LinkedIn comment, or walk through a relevant resource. It‘s more engaging than plain text.

• Social selling: Share helpful content on LinkedIn & Twitter. Engage with your prospects‘ posts. This keeps you visible and builds familiarity over time.

• Digital body language: Use website visitor data, email opens, and content engagement to gauge buyer interest and time your outreach.

• Chatbots: Chatbots can answer basic questions 24/7 and route hot leads to reps for a personalized follow up. It combines self-service with human touch.

The key is to supplement digital interactions with timely, personal follow up. A chatbot can be a great first touch, but to build real rapport, the rep needs to jump in and offer that tailored human-to-human experience.

The Bottom Line

Yes, buyers today crave independence and self-service. But at the end of the day, people still want to buy from people they trust.

As a sales rep, your job isn‘t to strong-arm buyers into talking to you when they want to buy on their own. It‘s to add so much value that they WANT to buy from you, even when they have other options.

Be knowledgeable, be personal, be easy to work with, and be authentically invested in their success. Do that, and you‘ll be the sales rep buyers actually enjoy buying from. You‘ll have customers for life, not just for this deal.

The game has changed, but one thing hasn‘t: authentic human-to-human connection still wins. Buyers don‘t need you – so it‘s your job to make them want you. Master that, and you‘ll thrive no matter what technology brings.