K
K

KB_FarmerType

Strategic Sales

Opinionated
Valued Contributor
Member
+3

No one likes to be sold, call it Buyer Coach, no?

If you are an Engineer and you put that on LinkedIn, the customer facing and your own internal team both understand what you do.But in sales, the "sales" and "customer success" are internal terms to your own org. Your mgmt call you sales because they want you to sales.

But market(Buyer Persona) doesn't want you to "sell" them anything.  

So would it be wrong for me to start calling myself what I really am? A Buyer's Assistant, Buying Partner, A Buying Coach

Please poke holes in my thinking here. what might be ignoring here and what resonates with you. 

"Partner" is such an amazing term too.

Context: Currently heavily prospecting through LinkedIn for generating initial pipeline. LinkedIn profiles only purpose is to get closer to ICP.




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24 comments

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oldcloser
Arsonist
9
💀
If I got prospected by a buyers assistant I’d think someone was trying to sell me a personal shopping service. Why you wanna hide your intention?
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
1
Strategic Sales
What if the intention is to help them buy instead of selling to them. Selling is my term for my company, “buying” is their term.

That’s my rationale.

No?
HVACexpert
Politicker
4
sales engineer
Sounds like a bunch of BS, if someone called me and said they were a ‘buyers coach’ I’d immediately ask them s bunch of questions, once I found out they were in sales I’d be more pissed off versus if they said they were in sales in the first place, because now I’ve wasted time.

It just sounds sleazy, and now I don’t trust you , so why would I listen to anything you say after that?
braintank
Politicker
4
Enterprise Account Executive
Bingo. You're in sales. Don't hide it. If you want to be a trusted advisor to you prospects changing your LinkedIn title to some kum by yah BS won't make it happen.
Revenue_Rambo
Politicker
7
Director, Revenue Enablement
A buyer’s assistance sounds about as useful as a life coach.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
Or consultant
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
0
Strategic Sales
And you hate both of them 😂
Sunbunny31
Politicker
6
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Inbounds (when we are lucky to get them) come in asking for sales. When someone wants to buys something, that is who they look for. A buyer’s assistant sounds like something the customer would put in place for their own company to help with the buying process from vendors - and that would be someone they’d provide, not you. And they do have those people. Sometimes they hire consultants for just this reason. And then they still ask to talk to sales.

I see where you’re going with this, but it’s not going to do anything but confuse your buyer. Own the title and the role, and have your actions and personality be the way you stand out.
HVACexpert
Politicker
5
sales engineer
Right, procurement already exists in companies.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
And we all know how we feel about procurement. 😂
DataCorrupter
Politicker
1
Account Executive
"I see where you’re going with this, but it’s not going to do anything but confuse your buyer."

Completely agree on this.
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
1
Strategic Sales
Super helpful
braintank
Politicker
3
Enterprise Account Executive
No thanks
ThatNewAE
Big Shot
3
Account Executive - Mid enterprise
We are at the point where the title no longer matters. You can call yourself the Consultant, the coach, the helper - whatever you please like, but your work matters at the end.
My ex-company called sales folks "consultants", the current company calls sales folks "Account managers". Whatever it be, both the buyer and the seller know they are the sellers and the buyers.
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
0
Strategic Sales
I agree , I was just pushing the boundaries of my optimisation 😅
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
Call a spade a spade.
You'll look shady and like you're trying to hide that you're in sales.
GDO
Politicker
3
BDM
Just be transparent and honest. I really think buyers don’t mind if you sell hem something they accrual need. Solve a problem for them and you’re golden
Pachacuti
Politicker
2
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Always best to own what you are.

If you're in Sales - own it.
Beans
Big Shot
2
Enterprise Account Executive
All this wordplay to hide your role is greasy, if you can solve a problem for them then who cares that you charge for that service.
LambyCorn
Arsonist
1
A mfkn E
i actually like getting sold, love a cold call to see how good they are lol
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
1
Strategic Sales
You should be on my buyer teams 😁
AnchorPoint
Politicker
1
Business Coach
NO. At the end of the day, you are representing the company, not the buyer.
KB_FarmerType
Opinionated
0
Strategic Sales
Yes but its for the customer specifically at the prospecting stage when your just trying to penetrate the account and want people to take meetings with you so that you learn more . Mentioning yourself to be “sales” is putting a barrier in minds of those who think “sales” is going to pitch me the product
RandyLahey
Politicker
1
Account Executive
My gut reaction would be to kindly say no and move on.

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