Buyer Over Product
It’s a common tendency to prioritize the product instead of the buyer when it comes to sales, but that is not what the seller should prioritize. It feels like it should be that way since you are trying to literally sell the product but being buyer oriented if even more important as it helps build trust, which is possibly the most important factor in sales.
Coach’s Way
Coach Andew DiDonato, Grove City College’s football coach, supports these views and prides himself in these areas which has allowed him to find success in recruiting and ultimately winning PAC titles. His desire to connect with his potential players shows them his intentionality and seems to be a big factor when players decide where to attend. The personal touch to his interactions builds up trust between the two sides. One of the key points for Coach is asking quality questions. This usually means open ended questions which in return allow you to get more insight into what the buyers needs are.
Sales Funnels
Sales funnels and pipelines are used by sellers to track the progress in terms of prospects or meeting the needs of a potential buyer. Coach presented one in class that he learned at the previous sales job he had before returning to Grove City College. The sections from top to bottom included:
- Need Analysis- Which is when you ask general open-ended questions to the buyer to find out where you need to take the conversation. Coach wants to figure out what the reason for looking into Grove City College is. If he finds out that the prospect is all about the academic sides, he will show off the department highlights and emphasize the career service offices high rankings.
- Need Awareness– This is the step where coach asks probing questions to the prospect. He wants to get below the surface level of the conversation and really let the player think deeper and more critically to see what they are really looking for.
- Need Solutions– This is where coach try’s to sell them on the college by explaining how GCC can benefit their lives for what they are looking for.
- Need Satisfaction– Lastly, it is important for the seller to ask the potential buyer for their business. If you did all the previous steps correctly then you should be able to get a genuine answer out of them. The last thing you would want to do is to leave without knowing where the prospect stands…so make sure to pop the question at the end.
Wrap
Using this funnel in a sales process will allow you to build more trust in both parties which is a crucial element in securing the purchase. Making a personal connection in the sales process means being more relational and less transactional. Make sure to have your questions prepared ahead of time so that you ask meaningful questions that get you to know what solution you have to offer the buyer. In the end, make sure to put most of your focus on the buyer since they are the ones who matter the most in the 3 way relationship.
williamsef24 
schlemeierej23
I agree that Coach Dido’s tactics are crucial to the success of a business. I really like how every step of the sales funnel focuses on the needs of the customer. In his example at the beginning of class Coach Dido made it clear that the process was all about the customer and not the product being sold, which gave me a good perspective on selling.
I love the way you explained Coach Dido’s selling tactics and how he approached how he sold to his customers whether it was an interested student or back in his medical sales days. All the steps in coach’s funnel were defined and kept to keep the customer #1. Once again proving that it is “all about the buyer.”