Why can't customers just buy stuff?

“How does collaborating with customer actually help us sell more… can’t they just buy stuff?”

 Orange Hat series - Sales Director Dilemmas 

Collaborative selling isn't just beneficial for sales professionals... it also plays a crucial role in empowering customers, especially in challenging situations.

Remember the ABC of understanding customers

They are

- Advanced in the buying process

- Biased towards their own knowledge

- Confused in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world

Adapt in each case...

🔶 Advanced Customers

When customers are well-informed and have progressed further in the buying process, collaboration becomes an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and build trust.

- Providing expert insights

Offer advanced additional insights and perspectives they may not have considered.

- Sharing best practices

Give success stories and best practices from similar customers or industries.

- Co-creating solutions

Become being part of the solution development process.

🔶 Biased Customers

When customers are biased towards their own knowledge and self-discovered information, collaboration can help challenge their biases and provide a more comprehensive perspective.

- Active listening

Acknowledge the experience and information the customer brings to the table to establish trust and create a safe space for collaboration.


- Sharing insights and data

Collaboration involves sharing relevant data, market trends, and insights to provide a broader context.

- Demonstrating value

Through open discussions and collaborative problem-solving, show how ideas address challenges and deliver tangible benefits beyond what the customer has already discovered.

🔶 Confused Customers in a VUCA World

In a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, collaboration becomes a guiding light for confused customers.

- Providing clarity

Guide customers through the chaos by explaining complex concepts and simplifying information, help customers gain a better understanding of the evolving landscape and the potential impact on their decisions.

- Co-creating strategies

Work together to develop adaptable strategies that navigate the environment by brainstorming, sharing insights, and leveraging collective intelligence to identify innovative solutions and future-proof strategies.

- Acting as trusted advisors

Customers value guidance and support, sales professionals can empathize with the customer's confusion, provide insights, and offer a steady hand in navigating uncertainty.

Collaborative selling means working with customers in different ways

🔸Align with advanced customers

🔸Challenge biased perspectives

🔸Guide confused customers

This creates meaningful relationships, drives better decision-making, and delivers value that goes beyond the customer's initial knowledge and expectations.

🧡 Embrace collaboration to unlock the full potential of sales and customer success 🧡