There have always been two certainties in life – death and taxes.
But I have now become convinced that there is a third certainty if you are a salesperson and that is the slow and painful death of decision making. Sure, prospects are still making decisions but there are some painful realities worth considering when it comes to how they make a decision:
- They are taking longer than ever to make decisions.
- They are involving more people in the decision-making process.
- The odds (while never really in your favor) are becoming increasingly in favor of the incumbent provider.
About five years ago the average number of people on a decision-making team was between 3 to 4 people for sales that were of some complexity in the B2B world. Now in 2024 most experts believe that number has increased to between 5 to 7 people who now make up the prospect’s decision-making group or team.
Why has this trend become the 3rd certainty in the life of a salesperson? I can give you 3 reasons:
- In a difficult or uncertain economy, prospects become very deliberate or conservative about making changes in existing relationships and/or spending money on new products or services. Spending freezes are not uncommon.
- Prospects take comfort in the “safety in numbers” approach. The thinking is that two heads are better than one…and six or seven seems even better. The prospect’s belief is that this approach minimizes the chances that something will get missed. And if something goes wrong, it is harder to blame a team of 7 as opposed to a single decision-maker.
- Buyers have fallen in love with the pursuit of consensus. But the problem is that consensus is rarely if ever reached. After all, if everybody is thinking the same way about something then somebody is probably not thinking.
So how do you as a salesperson adjust?
You must make sure you are having a conversation with all of the people (not some of the people) on the decision-making team. Is that a hassle? Yes, it is. But decision makers that are not accounted for during the sales process represent a huge red flag.
And finally, you had better be incredibly effective in making sure that the existing relationship is breakable, and you must have demonstrated tangible proof of the value that you and your company can bring to your prospect.
Put the odds in your favor. Make certain that you have these issues uncovered and understood so that you have a more qualified prospect with a high likelihood of closing.
