The Different Buyer Profiles You Need to Know - with Brent Adamson, Author, The Challenger Customer & The Challenger Sale
Brent Adamson, co-author of The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer joined me on the Metrics that Measure Up podcast to discuss his hot takes on sales technology, decision-making, buyer profiles, and the current state of SaaS sales.
"The SaaS industry has broken sales":
I asked Brent about a recent comment on another podcast: "The SaaS industry has broken sales." Brent highlighted that due to the large influx of capital and thus the number of B2B SaaS companies founded over the last few years, sales became more of a volume-centered process versus using a value-based, solution-selling model that traditional software companies used before the "growth at any cost" phase of the SaaS industry evolution.
Sales Technology:
Another variable that impacted the volume-centric sales approach was the rapid evolution and utilization of "Sales Technology," which automated many of those processes traditionally executed manually by a sales professional. Brent referenced The Sales Innovation Paradox by Howard Dover and argued that "If you pour millions of dollars into new technology, but the underlying plays that you are running are damaging, all you do is amplify the badness rather than overcome the badness." As a result, many companies, sales leaders, and thus sales professionals over-indexed activity and volume and did not focus enough attention on what makes each target account and the individual members of the buying team unique.
The Challenger Sale:
When Brent and his co-author Matthew Dixon conducted the initial research to write The Challenger Sale, one consistent truth uncovered was that no single buyer, not even the executive decision maker, wants to make a decision isolated from the broader team. The number one priority for a season decision maker is to gain team agreement or consensus on strategic purchases - such as SaaS solutions.
In the Challenger Sale, Adamson's research discovered that there were 5.4 individuals in every strategic purchase decision. That number has consistently increased over the last few years - hitting 11 or even more in 2022, with many saying it is closer to 15 in 2023. Though the number of people on a buyer team is significant, the more critical aspect of this reality is understanding the "diversity" and "motivations" of the different buyer profiles, functions, roles, and thus different decision criteria for a strategic purchase. "When you are trying to sell a complex solution, diversity can be a problem," meaning that each group has slightly different priorities, metrics, and targets. The product becomes easier to sell with a combined agreement on their goals.
Key Buyer Profile - Mobilizers:
"I think we all sell the same thing… we sell change". One way or another, all sales professionals are trying to get potential customers to change their behavior. If you peel back the layers of B2B sales - at the foundation, we are all trying to get our customers to do something different.
The above was the basis for Brent's second book, The Challenger Customer. The first topic we discussed was the different profiles of members of the buying team and what are the different types of buyer profiles who act as "mobilizers" to move a purchase forward.
What is a mobilizer? Based upon a survey of 2,000+ B2B Sales Professionals, top B2B sales performers identified that the most important attribute of a buyer persona is their ability to build consensus and willingness to drive change in their organization. Interestingly, managers don't teach these qualities in most sales training. This reality is much different from the standard sales process advice to identify the coach, champion, and executive decision-maker in the sales process.
What are the different types of "mobilizers":
The Skeptic
The Go-Getter
The Teacher
Skeptics typically are the most difficult to accept the value proposition of your solution and how it will work in their environment. "They will tear the idea apart piece by piece and understand it." However, once the skeptic is won over, they will be the best advocate for your solution being purchased and implemented.
The Go-Getter is all about organizational improvement. They constantly seek good ideas and will champion them when he finds them - no matter where they come from. More importantly, they are known to deliver results. The Go-Getter will focus more on the "how" to benefit from your solution versus the "why" of what your solution provides.
The Teacher is all about sharing insights and ideas. Colleagues seek them out for advice and input. Teachers are also good at convincing others to pursue a course of action. Passion and excitement are two hallmarks of the Teacher.
On the other hand, the "friends and the guides" may want to talk with you more than anyone else at the potential customer but are not good at mobilizing change in their company. Be careful of confusing friendly, responsive, and communicative with the ability to drive change in their company.
Buyer Emotions:
Next, we discussed the importance of tapping into the "emotions" of the buyer. It comes down to the "Identity Value" concept, which goes beyond the company or professional value that a solution can deliver. Identity Value is the value that sponsoring a purchase will impact how a person feels they are viewed and how they view themselves. Once a person feels your solution affects their "identity value," it will dramatically increase their desire to advocate purchasing your solution.
Learn more:
As we look to finish out Q223 strong and buyers continue to exhibit a "cautious" approach to purchasing new solutions, I cannot think of a better use of time than listening to Brent AND reading The Challenger Sale & The Challenger Customer.
You can find the full Metrics that Measure Up podcast episode with Brent Adamson on your favorite podcast app, or click here: https://bit.ly/BrentAdamsonMTMU.