B2B Sales: Contrast Drives Change

Many analysts claim and many salespeople would agree that today’s most powerful competitor is not another similar vendor, but the status quo. A “do nothing” or “change nothing” decision is now the most common outcome of complex B2B buying decision journeys. For ongoing purchases, the perceived cost and risk of change tend to give the incumbent supplier an advantage unless their position is eroded by internal or external forces. And for new purchases, the same concerns over the impact of disruption mean that the prospective customer is unlikely to change unless the reasons to act are compelling. Competing against the status quo requires that we establish a clear contrast in our customer’s mind between the negative consequences of continuing on their current trajectory and the positive benefits of embracing the need for change. If we cannot, they are unlikely to change… Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist, and his discoveries have helped us to better understand how to help our customers recognize and respond to the need for change. The first factor called status quo bias can be summarised as “if they don’t feel a compelling need to change, they won’t”. But it’s his second discovery risk aversion that gives us a clue about how best to compete against the status quo. And it’s not, as so many technology salespeople are inclined to do, primarily about extolling the benefits of investing in our solution. Having an apparently solid ROI isn’t enough.