Demand side sales 101
Assist customers in achieving progress
Description
Rather than pushing products outwards, shift the focus inwards.
Understand the journey your customer is on and the problems they are trying to solve. Then frame your offering as enabling progress, not just features.
Become less of a salesperson, more of a helper. Listen deeply to what customers want to achieve in their lives. Equip them with solutions tailored to their goals. Meet them where they are, don't force them where you want them to be.
The most effective salespeople empower customers to make progress on their own terms. They build trust by being helpful, creative problem solvers. They craft win-win solutions that customers pull into their lives, rather than pushing unwanted products.
Selling should not feel like a transaction, but a relationship where both parties' needs are met.
Table of contents
01Selling vs purchasing
In the realm of sales, the traditional approach has often been dominated by supply-side thinking, where the focus is on the product's features, benefits, and persuasive techniques to convince potential customers to make a purchase. This perspective operates under the assumption that customers inherently want what you have to offer; they simply need to be informed and persuaded about the value of your product or service. This method emphasizes the seller's need to communicate the superiority of their product, believing that with the right pitch, customers will be convinced to buy.
However, demand-side selling offers a contrasting approach that aligns more closely with the actual buying process of customers. Instead of starting with the product and looking for ways to sell it, demand-side selling begins with the customer, seeking to understand their needs, desires, and the "jobs" they are trying to get done. This approach is grounded in the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) theory, which focuses on understanding the progress a customer is trying to make in a given circumstance and how a product or service can facilitate that progress.
02Three frameworks for buying
Demand-side selling focuses on understanding customers' needs and helping them make progress, rather than pushing products. It involves asking probing questions to uncover the true motivations behind a purchase, emphasizing the customer's desired outcomes over product features. This approach is based on the idea that customers don't just want products; they want solutions that enable progress in their lives. Three key frameworks support this: the sources of buyer energy and motivation, the forces of progress, and the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) timeline. By adopting these frameworks, salespeople can shift their mindset from selling to helping, fostering more meaningful customer interactions and creative solutions that truly address the customer's needs.
a. Energy and motivation sources
Motivation is a critical factor in driving progress and change, and businesses often tap into three main sources: emotional, functional, and social. Emotional motivation appeals to people's hopes, dreams, fears, and aspirations, connecting with their heart and soul. For instance, an online university's advertisements might focus on the emotional satisfaction of improving one's life through education, rather than dry facts about its programs. Functional motivation, on the other hand, aims to make life easier by removing barriers and simplifying processes, such as streamlining a university application process to attract more students by reducing hassle.
Social motivation involves the desire for prestige, acceptance, and positive perception by others. A university might highlight successful graduates to tap into this motivation, showcasing the social validation that comes with a degree. Demand-side selling focuses on reducing negative functional, emotional, and social barriers while enhancing positive factors, such as reducing purchase anxiety, simplifying processes, or offering status-enhancing options.
03Applying buying frameworks
Transitioning from a product-centric to a demand-generation sales approach fundamentally shifts the focus from what you are selling to why people are buying. This transformation requires a deep understanding of your customers' perspectives and the "jobs to be done" that drive their purchases. It's about mapping out the factors that lead to a sale and reframing your sales process to focus on serving customers and aiding their progress.
The first step in this transition is to start by interviewing current customers to learn what triggered their purchase. It's crucial to avoid assumptions and probe into the details to uncover the underlying causes and catalysts for their decisions. Recognize that customers make trade-offs and may not fully understand or articulate their own motivations.
Therefore, it's important to dig deeper than impulse purchase claims to understand the complete picture. Effective demand-side selling involves understanding the pushes and pulls that influence customer decisions, identifying their specific motivations and barriers, and analyzing how you provided functional, emotional, and social incentives. Aligning your sales methodology to facilitate the customer's journey is essential.
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