© trokerr | stock.adobe.com
More than 15 years ago, long-time MANA‑member Harry Abramson authored a series of articles for Agency Sales magazine focused on the importance of perfection. Before he was done, Abramson, who founded Electronic Salesmasters, Inc., over 40 years ago, had tackled the subject of perfection from the vantage point of the rep, principal, customer and other perspectives. While Abramson retired from his agency in 2015, he is still “hands-on” in his capacity as a consultant to ESI.
Beginning in May and continuing through this month, Agency Sales revisits the subject of perfection as it applies to the rep, principal and customer or buyer, respectively. At the same time, Abramson has agreed to update his comments as they pertain to this ongoing discussion of “perfection.”
To begin his discussion of the subject of the perfect buyer, Abramson emphasizes that it’s important for reps to recognize the fact that there’s a difference between a buyer and an individual engaged in the profession of purchasing. “Certainly there’s a difference,” he maintains. “Unfortunately, too many buyers are viewed merely as requisitioners. Many years ago, early in my career, I encountered the term ‘value analyst,’ when referring to purchasing agents. What they meant by that was that the person engaged in purchasing was someone who had a true understanding of what was being purchased. I haven’t heard that term too often since then, but I was tickled pink to hear it then because it gave a real recognition to true professionals. I’m a big advocate for that type of recognition. It smacks of recognizing a profession that is more important and sophisticated than just being a buyer. That’s something that reps should be aware of when they’re working with purchasing agents.”
If there’s a hoped-for change in the way the buyer — at the least the “perfect buyer” — is perceived, he adds that there are also some other changes that he’s seen in the relationship between reps and customers over the years. For instance, “Today the majority of communications between rep and customer are conducted over the computer. As a result, the rep and the customer can wind up spending their time at their desks responding to each other’s e‑mails. But one thing that still hasn’t changed is the importance of establishing relationships. The concept of social sales is certainly not close to being done with. There will always be relationships based on friendships. That is something that will never go away because people always have a natural affinity for others who have common interests. That works to the benefit of rep and customer.”
If an independent manufacturers’ representative is out of touch with today’s professional buyer, something terrible is going to happen. Nothing! They just won’t get the business. The rep’s customers are going to be captured by big, ferocious, hungry, shrew-like creatures called the competition, and pretty soon they’ll be as extinct as a dinosaur. Today, buyers are more professional and sophisticated than ever before. They want to conduct business with salespeople who aspire to be perfect — just like you.
You realize — one would hope — that purchasing is a profession that is every bit as important and challenging as careers in sales and marketing. The perfect buyer is competent because he has the qualities of being intelligent, patient, persevering, and is a good communicator. He gathers information on which to base his decisions — stuff like empirical data and factual analysis if he is really sophisticated — and then he makes an unbiased decision that is in the best interest of his company.
The perfect buyer recognizes the importance of his function and the economic impact of his decisions. There is no question that good buyers, and unfortunately poor ones, influence the financial well-being of their companies. Their performance means that their company’s products are competitively priced and get to the marketplace on time. The perfect buyer also establishes strategic sourcing and finds his job to be exciting, challenging and fulfilling. But in the real world, he also finds it frustrating, because there are no such creatures as perfect suppliers.
It’s important to keep in mind that the perfect buyer aspires to buy the best-valued products and services, but other challenges are inventory management, long-term agreements (fewer), contract buying (more), and vendor consolidation/single sourcing, which is on the rise as the result of partnering.
The perfect buyer derives job satisfaction from reducing costs and effective negotiations (Don’t we all?). Frustrations are prevalent when carefully chosen suppliers drop the ball. Buyers are frustrated internally from inadequate planning, poor communication and lack of recognition. The perfect buyer wants to receive more training to better perform his job, as well as a louder voice in company matters. Promotion to general management is the ultimate goal — but rarely happens.
Even the most perfect buyers may have fears and anxieties, and perfect salespeople are aware of and sensitive to them. Buyers may fear change and complex sales pitches. They may have anxiety about not understanding your company’s products and fear that they may not perform as promised. They may fear you won’t deliver on time and that they risk the embarrassment of the deadly expression “line down!” Ultimately, their worst fear is that they may make a mistake that will embarrass them in the eyes of their superiors and associates.
Knowledgeable — The perfect buyer fully understands his function and the tremendous impact that he can make on the bottom line. He is knowledgeable of his company’s “end product” and has a basic understanding of what he purchases. To that extent, the perfect buyer is a value analyst and makes informed decisions based on a product’s features, advantages and benefits.
Sensitivity to Glitches — The perfect buyer realizes that he does not have perfect suppliers and is sensitive to the glitches that may take place in the manufacturing process. He does not overreact. He does not threaten to take his business elsewhere. Being sensitive means being empathetic. He asks how he can help and does not say “You’re out of here!” He want to get to know you personally to learn if you and your company have the same values and sensitivities. Perfect buyers do not make decisions too quickly or too slowly, and they are amenable to change if it saves their company money or if they can enhance the performance and reliability of their end product.
Negotiable — Perfect buyers do not “auction off” their purchases. Conversely, they periodically provide information to potential suppliers that will enable them to make viable proposals. The perfect buyer also gives suppliers an opportunity to re-negotiate pricing or other issues based on any oversights that they made. This can result in higher or lower pricing, but the bottom line is that the perfect buyer is negotiable.
“Sure, being able to provide a competitive price is critical, but there’s more to it and that’s where the ability to negotiate comes in. To work effectively with the perfect customer you’ve got to dig much deeper than just price. You’ve got to address subjects such as quality controls, on-time delivery, new product development, special programs and other matters. The perfect customer is receptive to these approaches.”
Playing Favorites — The perfect buyer does not play favorites at the expense of risky purchasing decisions. He remains totally objective and bases decisions on suppliers’ track records. Decisions are not a reflection of friendships but of friendly (competitive) pricing, delivery and quality. Perfect buyers are not swayed by brand names but, more important, by performance.
When he’s asked to expand on his view that the perfect buyer doesn’t play favorites, Abramson maintains, “That’s all part of the package — isn’t it? The perfect customer must look for the best value and that doesn’t necessarily mean the best price. He’s looking for the best purchase that will truly benefit his company.”
Honesty — One would hope that honesty is a virtue that is present with all buyers, not just the mythically perfect ones. Ethics and morality should never be questions in the purchasing function. The same applies to the perfect salespeople and the companies who employ them. In the perfect world of procurement, buyers and sellers are always candid and beyond reproach. That means no wining and dining and, of course, no gifts.
Preparation — The perfect salesperson always prepares his presentation before visiting a prospect or customer. He does his homework and has a reasonable knowledge about the account, i.e., what they manufacture, the components and services that they buy, the account culture and where they stand in their marketplace. The perfect buyer does the same thing with the companies from whom he buys, as well as potential vendors. He asks the right background questions and minimally checks out their website.
Decision Factors — The perfect buyer takes the time to factor all of the criteria into each purchasing decision — and this is not easy. The real factors are: quality/reliability (not always a given), lead times (must be accurate), technical support (essential), competitive pricing (same as marketplace), track record (important benchmark) and sales support (too often overlooked).
No Ultimatums — The perfect buyer does not issue ultimatums, but rather his needs to effectively do his job. You’ll never hear scare tactics when dealing with the professional buyer. He remains calm and tells it like it is. He expects the same from suppliers.
Networking — Perfect buyers network with other departments throughout their company. They speak to engineers, quality control, production and marketing personnel. They understand their colleagues’ needs and wants, so that they can better satisfy the corporate “big picture.” They also interact with other buyers to determine who’s good and who’s not.
Punishment — Perfect buyers don’t penalize distributors or reps for the poor performance of one line. They know that there is no such thing as guilt by association. All perfect buyers realize that all of the suppliers are somewhat flawed, just as their employer. Therefore, the buyer does not make a condemnation or hold life-long grudges.
Establishing Partnerships — The best buyers are great builders. They build bridges and not barriers. They build bonds and keep them. They do a lot of other good things as well, such as not discriminating. They realize that everyone is different and the companies they work for do one thing better than anyone else. They glean this knowledge before making a decision.
The gold old handshake and smile aren’t good enough anymore. Buyers want your undivided attention and loyalty. They want top-to-bottom services.
Pricing — the perfect buyer is mindful that the lowest price is not the most important criterion. If it were, he would procure virtually everything from an online auction. It supports the fact that quality, delivery and a history of honoring commitments are far more important.
MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].
