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> is unlikely to be a real buyer, since real buyers are accustomed to the sales process. Reasonable but as you are probably aware you are potentially leaving s

> is unlikely to be a real buyer, since real buyers are accustomed to the sales process. Reasonable but as you are probably aware you are potentially leaving some sales on the table. I'm the sole tech buyer for my entire company (SME) (because I'm the only techie on staff so it naturally fell to me) and I loathe "Contact us for pricing" enough that given two equal(ish) options I'll pick the one with the "Foo costs X"/"Bar costs Y" pricing. Also heavy after sales contact (Dell are buggers for this) puts me right off as well, if I buy a product from someone I maybe want one email a quarter with similar products and that is it, if we are in the market for a new product I'll go do the research at that point and buy it. My time is critical to me because I wear lots of hats and want to get the none-core part of my role done quickly and smoothly.

edmundsauto 7y ago
It's really important for many companies to know what sales they want to leave on the table. You can't be all things to all people, and if you don't know who you want as a customer, it's frequently a bad experience that sucks time, energy, and attention from building the core business. I totally understand why people don't want to build a relationship with a sales person. However, I don't want transactional customers, which is how I perceive them. Again, reasonable from both sides. You shouldn't try to sell to everyone.
awillen 7y ago
Yeah, you're the collateral damage - a good buyer but one whose profile looks like a bad buyer. If you know of any good ways to screen for folks like yourself while still keeping out the chaff, let me know :)
- commentzorro 7y ago
  I do. Post your prices online. Make these prices be the non-discounted prices. The chaff will balk at the price and move on. The wheat will call you to find out what more you can do. I hate calling only to find out you're selling for triple the price of comparables because of "magic beans" reasons.

edmundsauto 7y ago

It's really important for many companies to know what sales they want to leave on the table. You can't be all things to all people, and if you don't know who you want as a customer, it's frequently a bad experience that sucks time, energy, and attention from building the core business. I totally understand why people don't want to build a relationship with a sales person. However, I don't want transactional customers, which is how I perceive them. Again, reasonable from both sides. You shouldn't try to sell to everyone.

awillen 7y ago

Yeah, you're the collateral damage - a good buyer but one whose profile looks like a bad buyer. If you know of any good ways to screen for folks like yourself while still keeping out the chaff, let me know :)

commentzorro 7y ago
I do. Post your prices online. Make these prices be the non-discounted prices. The chaff will balk at the price and move on. The wheat will call you to find out what more you can do. I hate calling only to find out you're selling for triple the price of comparables because of "magic beans" reasons.