Sharon Drew Morgen

When you think about your numbers (closing percentages, total calls, etc.), and consider the objections, the price issues, the delayed sales cycles, the excuses, and those who just, well, disappear, don’t you realize these same problems have been cropping up, um, forever? And that whatever you seem to be doing to ‘correct’ the issue doesn’t seem to work? And you still expect different results? Do you realize you’d rather suffer with the long sales cycle rather than actually enter the buyer’s journey much earlier and help them navigate through their decision issues and buy effortlessly? And when I suggest there is a way to do that, you don’t want to change? Do you realize you’d rather think your customer is stupid than understand that their behind-the-scenes decision issues – their budget-sharing, their turf and ego issues, their vendor issues, or manager issues, or m... (more)

Buying Patterns, Buy Cycle, Buying Decisions

As sales professionals, I’m sure you recognize that the sales model is merely a solution placement model: it ignores the behind-the-scenes human issues that buyers must address and decide on prior to buying, leaving sales people outside the meat of the decisions during the largest portion of the buying decision path. I realized the flaw in the model as an entrepreneur of a tech company in London. As a successful sales person during the 70s, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to start up a tech company in London  in 1983.  My personal situation drove my discovery. At ... (more)

Buyers don’t sit and wait for sellers

Around 85% of a buyer’s pre-purchase, back-end decision issues get addressed privately, outside of the seller’s purview, and a seller has no place at the table. Here is where we lose our sales – as buyers manage the internal politics, and the strategic/change issues – not because our solutions aren’t relevant or because we haven’t done a good job selling. The sales process discovers need, gathers data to determine a solution fit, and places the solution. Buyers need that data and the sales function is vital. But first they absolutely must make sure that a new solution fits comfo... (more)

An Intelligent Contact Sheet

The field of marketing automation would like to get the right data, at the right time, to prospects who sign up on contact sheets. But with the  available technology, it’s not possible: the wrong data are being gathered and scored, the wrong content is being sent out and collected, the technology is not set up to determine or support each stage of the off-line buying decision path, and there is no capability to lead the buyer sequentially (with unique content at each step) through their internal change management/decision issues. The problem is they are working from a sales mode... (more)

Meri Aaron Has a Video Chat with Sharon Drew

I first met Meri Aaron Walker in 2003 here in Austin, TX, at the World Future Society where I was talking aoubt Buying Facilitation®. Meri had spoken at the previous meeting about being an independent management consultant in the fast-blooming “Free Agent Nation,” and came to hear me speak; she claims she’s been a fan  ever since. Meri Aaron is known as “The Virtual Meeting Coach” and a social media evangelist, using free media and virtual meeting tools to strengthen local and distance relationships. She is also the co-author of Teamwork is An Individual Skill: Getting Your Work... (more)