What Do Buyers Really Want From You?

by: Rob Reed

Do your buyers tell you what they really want?

Maybe. Maybe not. But they do tell Purchasing magazine, read by 95,000 procurement and supply chain management professionals.

Purchasing’s readers respond to an annual survey, and here’s what these purchasing professionals have to say:

Give us thoroughness and follow-through from our sellers.
Give us customer service and consistency.
Give us market knowledge and innovative ideas.

How would you describe a seller who meets these requirements? How about:

Professional.
Trustworthy.
Knowledgeable.

In a telling comment, one Purchasing reader noted that he needs sellers who offer solutions and services such as unsolicited cost reductions, because he is so busy he barely has time even to look at new items. But professional buyers also say that they rarely receive such information, because most sellers are not truly prepared and do not offer any real solutions to their problems.

Whether you are regarded as a trusted, professional seller depends on how you respond to buyers who are hard-pressed for time and resources.

And buyers, according to the Purchasing magazine survey, don’t like:

Lack of follow-through.
Lack of knowledge and preparation.
Failure to be on time.
Pushiness. Aggressiveness.
Failure to offer a solution to the buyer’s problems.
Back-door selling. Basic dishonesty.

So if you want good relationships with buyers who regard you as a respected partner, remind yourself every day of what buyers want: a professional, trustworthy, knowledgeable seller.