The Buy-Learing Sales Process

I was originally exposed to a buy-leearning sales approach in the early nineties when Dick King walked into my office and asked what I was reading. Dick retired from Xerox with over 30 years of industry experience, so when he suggested I read “Getting Into Your Customers Head” by Kevin Davis I listened. He knew that my company at the time was looking to use the book as the official sales approach. I bought it that afternoon, read it over the weekend and proceeded to teach the process to my team the following week. Although the company’s sales force did not truly grasp the concept, the training department began teaching the process a year later. (Side Note: I believe the reason for any sales process not taking hold at the team level is the inability or unwillingness of the sales managers to coach it and support it in the field.)

Here is the the Kevin Davis process.

Customer Buy-Learning Process               

Sales Roles














Each customer step has a corresponding sales role with specific action steps. It’s important to know where the customer is in the buying cycle before you can engage with you

Besides the steps of the sales cycle, here are 5 key points I took away from the book which I reinforce daily.

1. The biggest problem sales people face today is that we sell too fast!  This has nothing to do with the time it takes from the moment you find a prospect to the “close” of the sale. What it means is that sales people present the solution well before the customer is ready to buy. We find a potential customer, ask what they want or need and we fill the order with a solution the same day. Then we hear crickets for weeks while the customer is shopping around and comparing other options by themselves!

2. Customers do not buy because they have needs; they buy because they have problems! This is the toughest concept to grasp because we’ve been taught for decades to uncover customer needs and present solutions which can fill those needs. Yet there are thousands of customers who expressed needs for products and services and have not made a decision to buy. Think of the many things you “need” which you have not bought. I don’t mean thinks like a tooth brush or shampoo. I mean some of the more significant things that carry a higher price tag like windows for your home, a phone system for your business, or furniture for your office. When the problems associated with the lack of these items escalate, the decision to making a purchase gets closer.

3. Consequences of not fixing the problem is much greater than the problem itself! The classic example is the one of a leaky roof. Today it’s a small hole which can be fixed with a new shingle or some caulking, but if the leak persists it may lead to wall damage, mildew and rotted wood. Sales people will be much more successful if they ask questions which force the customer to realize what could happen if the problem is not addressed today.

4. The irony in sales is that the sales people think the “close” is the end of the relationship and the customers thinks it’s the beginning! The steps after the sales are the most crucial in developing and growing an account yet many reps simply take their money and run.

5. If you’re maintaining an account, you’re losing it. In order to keep a account you must grow it! This statement supports the importance of the sale roles after the “close”. How can you leverage the sale of a product you just sold to sell more products or services in the account? In the office equipment industry, there are so many items beyond the copier which can impact the account. Document management software, supplies, printer management or facilities management just to name a few.

The bottom line

If your sales process does not include the customer's approach to buying, you are in danger of prolonging or even losing the sale.