An Odd Couple – Buyer’s and Seller’s Perspectives

Sellers naturally focus on their products (especially technology vendors and other producers of pricy products). Buyers on the other hand, quickly move to “what will the product (or service) do for me now and next?” This “gap” can, and often is, as wide as the Grand Canyon and as deep as the Mariana Trench (deepest point on earth located in the Pacific Ocean). Okay, I admit it I am being just a little overly dramatic, but I believe I’ve made my point!

Sellers is seems believe that the buyers are as excited as they are about the “wonderful engineering” and some probably are. However, at the end of the day even the most enthusiastic Corvette buyer just wants to feel the raw power and get on with having fun – and if the car doesn’t deliver he or she is likely to walk to a different dealership [although as a “Vette” owner I think that would be highly unlikely].  

In some cases, the gap can be leveraged especially when the customer is asking “What’s coming next?” This is a perfect opportunity to engage in a dialogue [better than a monologue] that focuses on changes and shares the future strategic direction (or enhancement specs) of the product. Find areas of shared interest with your customers. Get them excited before the product launches. This pre-launch buy-in perhaps soliciting and using ideas customers have provided is a wonderful approach. Microsoft is using it – watch their TV ads!

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