Most people know that salespeople often operate in teams, but many of them fail to realize that the reverse is also true: in many companies, particularly larger ones, buyers also operate in teams.

For salespeople, these buying teams can require an entirely different sales strategy than the one they would use when selling to an individual decision maker. That’s why it’s important to understand what a buying team really is, why they are different from individual buyers, and how sellers can successfully approach buying teams.

What exactly is a buying team, and why does it matter?

In many enterprise organizations, a large B2B purchase is considered too significant to leave it up to one person. In these situations, there may be one individual who gets the final say on whether or not a purchase is made, but that person will also depend on a whole team of influencers who share input and knowledge on a particular subject in order to make the decision-making process easier. This is what we are referring to when we talk about a buying team.

Simply put, buying teams matter because a significant portion of enterprise organizations now make their buying decisions using them. In addition, these teams do not make buying decisions the same way an individual would, meaning that sales teams must have a strategy in place specifically for buying teams if they wish to succeed in selling to them.

What kind of things should go into your buying team strategy?

When you begin thinking about how to sell to buying teams, the first thing you must think about is what the buying teams you typically sell to look like. This could include things like how many members it consists of, what duties each member of the team has, and what job titles they commonly have.

Once you have this basic information, you can then gather more information about the specific organization you wish to approach. Find out how the buying team was formed, and who fills the individual job roles within the buying team. Using contact discovery services can be helpful in this regard. Instead of providing you with a simple list of names, contact discovery helps you understand who each individual person is, and what role they play within the buying team. This information can help you tailor your sales approach specifically for each member of the buying team.

Finally, you can use the information you gathered to target each of the individual buying team members with a sales message that is custom tailored for their job role. For instance, you might approach an influencer in a financial role with a message about how your product or service can save the company money. On the other hand, you might approach someone from a technology background with a message about how a product could improve performance for the company. Try different options, keep track of your results to find out what works well, and then adjust your sales strategy accordingly.

About Sales Inside Inc.

Sales Inside Inc. is a leading provider of contact discovery services. With the help of SII, you can approach buying teams with complete, accurate information that helps you get results. Visit salesinsideinc.com for more information.

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