The illusion of the expert buyer

One of the most dangerous mistakes we can make as sales people is believing that our customer – and particularly the sponsor we have been working with – knows how to buy.
This might be a reasonable assumption if our prospective customer is buying a familiar solution in a familiar way – for example a repeat purchase from a well-known source.
But if our prospective customer is looking for an unfamiliar solution: something they have not had to buy before – from an unfamiliar source: a vendor they have no previous relationship with, the assumption of buyer expertise is very dangerous.
Buyer unfamiliarity can represent either an opportunity or a threat – depending on how we choose to respond to it…
There are two key dimensions to this buyer unfamiliarity effect, and either or both may be at play: the prospective customer may be unfamiliar with what they need achieve