An article appeared in the Harvard Business Review publication earlier this year entitled: Sensemaking for Sales - https://hbr.org/2022/01/sensemaking-for-sales?utm_source=pocket_mylist
The major points of the article were as follows:
The amount of information available to B2B customers has become overwhelming. Reports, blogs, advertising, email marketing, podcasts, white papers, word-of-mouth recommendations: All compete for the opportunity to influence buyers. So much accurate and trustworthy information exists online that B2B customers dedicate only 17% of their purchase process to talking with potential suppliers. They spend most of their time independently researching vendors and the industry at large. The easily accessible information has proved valuable, but it has complicated the purchase process. Too much information exists for buyers to make sense of it on their own.
The authors of the article suggest this presents an opportunity for sales professionals that are willing to help simplify the information, but more than that, help customers to make sense of the information so that they can make the best decisions. Or as in some cases just make a decision as, if the buyer is confronted with too much information the frequent default position is to make no decision at all.
There are three ways they suggest sales people engage with customers:
Giving - responding quickly to customers by providing more information
Telling - providing a strong point of view to the customer or sharing their experience
Sensemaking - guiding customers and providing simplicity over too much detail
What sense makers do differently
- Curate the information: connecting customer only with information that will help them move forward
- Clarifying information: helping customers make sure they are asking the right questions and understand the problem.
- Collaborating on customer learning: providing a framework, put customers in control so they have the confidence to make decisions
Sellers benefit in two ways:
In an atmosphere of trust they can focus on their strengths. They know the customer understands they will naturally pitch the strengths of their products but the customer also has trust that you will provide all the information and guidance they need. They then have confidence in their ability to make their own decisions.
- The deal size will likely be greater as the customer is more confident and empowered to make decisions so is less likely to settle on lower risk, low value sales or postpone a decision.
- Customers are more likely to make high-quality, low-regret purchases when they’re sure they have asked the right questions, prioritized the correct information, and identified consistent patterns.
Complex B2B buying decisions are consequently driven less by what customers know than by how confident they feel in their ability to make good decisions. The most successful sellers—the sensemaking sellers—empower customers to grasp overwhelming quantities of information and take bold, decisive action with assurance and peace of mind.
How is Sensemaking Sales Different from Sales Storytelling?
Sales storytelling is the practice of telling compelling stories that highlight the benefits of a service or product to a buyer. This approach focuses on insightful thought leadership, nothing wrong in that, its just that the customer journey is no longer linear. Trying to find out where the buyer is in their journey has become complex, making it difficult to effectively use sales storytelling, making it a less productive differentiating strategy it once was. Using Sensemaking Sales, your tactics should be more adaptable, switching between channels, to guide your customers towards making decisions. Data seems to support this, when you act as a guide — making customers jobs easier — as opposed to just a storyteller, the data indicates you’ll have more success.
Does this accelerate the digital trend and replacement of sales people?
This could mean more digital channels taking over the sales process, digital enablement tools, (AI recommended content) guided selling tools to help break down complex ideas (Video is very good at that). Is it a threat or an opportunity for sale people. I guess the answer is with most things - is both. There are opportunities, as sales engagement tools may help you pinpoint the right time to engage and then you can offer the more human hand - the specific sensemaking that will guide the prospect - perhaps help bringing it all together to help them clarify everything. As with most opportunities the sales people quickest to use these tools, or experiment with them may benefit the most. As was stated, I believe in another HBR article when referencing technology replacing managers: "Artificial Intelligence won't replace managers. But managers who use AI will replace managers that don't.”.
Summary
Sensemaking should not be seen simply as better on its own than "giving" and "telling" just as "challenger sales" is not necessarily better than "solution selling", "spin selling" etc. They are different approaches to sales that can be used 100% on their own but are normally best suited by combining and using appropriately for each customer. There is nothing wrong with responding quickly to a customer and providing more information (Giving) - if that is required. Likewise sharing your experience and being provocative by providing a point of view (Telling) can be of tremendous value - if not overused as it can be a differentiator and helpful for customers.
A key part of simplifying complexity is understanding it yourself which means you sometimes have to understand the issue inside and out before being able to explain and simplify it to someone else. That in itself can be a beneficial exercise adding to your own "knowledge/expertise store". This could actually refer to your own product offering too - knowing that offering better. Let's be honest how often do we gloss over some items within our own product offering because its not clear or we don't fully understand, and we do that because maybe we are seldom asked about it or everyone assumes what the answer is. Take ownership of that and full understand so that you can answer any question or use it to really simplify/explain your product offering better.
"Putting customers in control" - a little scary for many salespeople as we are so used to trying to control the whole process. This may be a challenge for many but you have to give your client the element of control here so that they can make their own decision. However, lets be clear you have to know your client, some clients will want to be lead and given an opinion and be told what to do - nothing wrong in that.
Confidence is a big thing, making sure your client is confident that they have all the facts, all the information, have considered everything, and have all they need to make a confident decision. How many time have you left a conversation with a feeling like they do not seem confident of next step and you have tried pushing but that does not really work either because they have no confidence of taking the next step forward or being pushed forward. They have to have the confidence to take that step themselves.
Lastly Sensemaking is not "the" magic bullet - its another example of staying in touch with clients and using what works best, what helps the most , what do they need - and providing that value. And adapting with the times - now the need is to simplify mass and complicated information and provide guidance - later it may be to provide something more specific or general it will depend on clients and what they need. They key is to continue communicating with clients, listen out for new challenges and changes, things will change - expect that, be on the look out for it so that you can respond.
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