Buying Tips from a Sales Manager

Let’s be real -- the buying cycle in the association industry is much slower than in for-profit industries.  As a past for-profit sales manager, I basically had to forget everything I knew about sales rules and start fresh when I began working in the association industry.  In the for-profit industry, sales naturally move more quickly and the flow of the conversation is different.  Cold calling, being aggressive, and being blunt are expected. In the association industry, however, relationships matter and trying to sell someone something right away is, for the most part, frowned upon. 

Honestly, I much prefer working in the association industry as I was never one to be super pushy; regardless, in both industries the following are important for the buyer to consider:

1. It is important to set expectations, especially the following:
   
   
   1. Timeframe- In the association industry the average buying time used to be about nine months, but, in the last year, I have watched this trend change. Some associations were now looking to sign something in as little as three months.  While a small detail, this expectation is important, especially when working with a digital marketing agency.  Projects are planned out and production schedules are made each month, so, if you want to start work in two months, it is important to relay that information immediately so your rep can prepare his team. On the other hand, if you aren’t looking to buy for a year, the rep will know not to call you every day for the next two weeks.  Perhaps you haven’t even budgeted for this purchase yet, which leads me to the next expectation.  
      
      
   2. Budget- A question that some take as invasive, but providing a “ball park” budget is as helpful as me providing “ball park” pricing to you. Understanding your budget, especially since I work for a company that does mostly custom work, can better direct my conversation towards things in your budget and lets me know if something is out of your budget.  I need to be prepared in order to effectively work with you on pricing.  Neither of us wants to waste time looking at things that the budget will not accommodate.  By talking about budget up front, we can both be more effective.  It’s all about setting expectations, which is my next point
      
      
   3. Process- This is individual to each organization, and some processes are long and others are short, but sharing each other’s processes, in the first conversation especially, has never been a bad thing.
      
      
2. Just say, “No!” I totally understand ignoring a sales email.  Who hasn’t done this?  But when you have spent time and truly investigated a product with a rep and then go ghost, I get left out in left field and keep reaching out to you.  We’ve spent time together and I have gotten to know and understand your needs; so, at this point, for all I know you still want to buy but something more important has come up to delay to purchase.  Consequently, I keep emailing without any success, and I am sure at one point you have thought, “Please stop emailing/calling me!”  If you tell me you are no longer interested, then saying “no” is the best thing you can do for us both.
   
   
3. My job is not just selling. Now that the shot gun approach is slowly being removed from sales altogether, cold calling is pretty much a waste of time and so are all other related approaches.  My job is listening and educating because you, as a buyer, are researching and comparing solutions.  Just as associations want to gather as much data as possible on their members so associations can deliver the right message at the right time, associations are my members or prospective members and the best way to deliver my message is also through data collection.  Hopefully this blog will make the methods and reasons for clarity and openness in communication and future interactions with prospective sales more effective for all. 

At the end of the day, I don’t want to waste your time or continue to blow up your email anymore then you want me to.  Remember these three points and you will find your next sales experience goes much more smoothly. 

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