I’ve worked closely with sales organizations for almost 30 years. I have been across the table from salespeople in a thousand settings.  I’ve sent out, received and evaluated hundreds of major RFPs.  I’ve sat through a plethora of final sales presentations from multi-billion dollar companies.  With all this I am surprised how often suppliers and their sales organizations “miss the mark” completely.  Often, they don’t know how to sell their products and services.  More often, they don’t know how to sell to me, the buyer. 

Here is what I want from a supplier: 

•  I want a supplier who knows my organization.
•  I want a supplier who knows my needs…my pain.
• I want a supplier who listens first, finding a need before presenting a solution.
•  I want a supplier who can speak my language with words like “real savings”,  “reduced life cycle costs”,  "great customer service”, “increased quality”, and “value to the bottom line”.
• I want a supplier who cares about my needs and “out cares” their competition.
• I want a supplier who realizes that my customers are their customers. 

Here is what I don’t want from a supplier: 

•  I don’t want a supplier who is just selling “stuff” not knowing if my company needs it or if it’s a priority to me.
• I don’t want a supplier who doesn’t listen.
•  I don’t want a supplier who talks endlessly of product features without connecting them to my needs or my benefits.
•  I don’t want a supplier who can’t differentiate themselves from their competition using my language.
• I don’t want a supplier who doesn’t know if they can solve my problem profitably or if they can solve it better than their competition. 

Even with advances in today’s selling, many salespeople still don’t know how to sell to ME. Listen, deliver needed solutions, out-care your competition and you will have a greater opportunity to have my business. 

Brent Johnson, Vice President of Supply Chain, Chief Purchasing Officer, Intermountain Healthcare