You can’t influence if you don’t understand.
A cornerstone of great selling is the ability to deeply and broadly understand your customer’s business. But too often, sales teams believe they understand their customer because they’ve had a good meeting with the Buyer. True customer understanding goes far deeper, and it’s one of the biggest differentiators in competitive markets.
In our view, great sellers build insight at three levels.
The Corporate Big Picture
What the organisation is trying to achieve, its strategic priorities, financial pressures, and long-term direction.
Category or Functional Priorities
How those corporate goals translate into the category you operate in – growth agendas, role of the category, operational challenges, margin expectations.
Individual KPIs and Success Measures
What key stakeholders are personally accountable for – their objectives, incentives, risks, and what ‘success’ looks like for them.
When sellers understand all three, they stop selling products and start delivering relevance. They speak to what matters, tailor their plans to the customer’s reality, and show up as partners.
And in today’s environment, where growth is hard to find, this depth of understanding is what enables high impact, customer centric solutions.
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