How to kickstart your buyer-centric sales strategy (2024)

Ever feel like you're swimming against the tide in today's sales landscape?

Trust me, I've been there.

The biggest breakthrough for me in my sales career has been focusing on buyer-centric selling, also known as a buyer enablement approach.

This strategy has changed-up the way I connect with prospects throughout the sales cycle. It's led to more closed deals and so much positive feedback I've lost count.

In this article, I'm going to break down the ins and outs of buyer-centric sales and how you can put a buyer enablement strategy into action.

I'll share some personal tips on how our sales team at trumpet does things and how you can track your success with this new spin on selling.

But first, let's go back to basics and dive into what buyer enablement is all about 👇

Buyer enablement is basically just putting our buyers' needs first. Simple as that.

When I'm thinking about buyer enablement, I'm not just pushing my product; I'm creating value and figuring out how to solve the buyer's real problems.

Today's buyers are super informed and do their homework before even talking to us sellers. In fact, they're already 57% - 70% through their buying research before speaking to us. So, we've got to change our game plan to stay top of mind.

It's all about knowing who your buyers are, what motivates them, and how we can make their journey easier.

At trumpet, my sales team listens actively on demo calls, asks smart questions based on what the prospect is saying (no static question lists), and provides insights that really matter to that individual and their company.

Did you know that customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable?

Why? Because happy customers stick around, buy more, and tell their friends. By putting buyers first, you're not just making sales; you're building lasting relationships. It's a win-win that helps top sellers stand out in a crowded market.

You're probably thinking, "Rory, how did you make your sales cycles more 'buyer-friendly'?"

I've got three top tips that I started using in my sales cycles as Sales Lead at HotJar, and now my sales team at trumpet uses them too.

Getting personal is key. This is where tools like Jiminny come in handy—use those call transcripts and conversation intelligence to craft content based on what they've told you.

And hey, extra points for throwing in their own jargon in your sales pitch. Buyers love it when you speak their language, it makes them feel at home with you.

Okay, I might be a bit biased, but throwing buyer-centric tools like digital sales rooms into your tech stack is pretty crucial when building a buyer enablement strategy, right?

I use our own deal rooms to deliver super personalised buying experiences for every prospect, and guess what? They love it.

Another tool to think about is e-signature platforms—there’s nothing worse than getting a static PDF in your email and then having to hunt down a free signing tool just to sign, export, and email it back.

And lastly, any tool that lets you film or create interactive product demos is a win. Reading through product decks with screenshots of your platform? It’s going to put your buyer to sleep.

Lastly, we've just got to keep evolving. Remember, changing your selling behaviours isn't a one-and-done deal. It's about continuous learning and adapting to our buyers' changing needs.

My strategies from 7 years ago wouldn't even nearly cut it now! The buyer leads the way, as sellers we follow and must adapt.

By putting the buyers' needs first, you're not just making sales; you're building lasting relationships that will set you apart from the competition. As I said, the bar to impress is pretty low, so even a few small tweaks to your current seller-centric process will make a big difference.

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