The Big Data-Driven Business

Chapter 3The Evolution of the Buyer's Journey, or How the Internet Killed the Three-Martini Lunch

If you've ever watched Mad Men, you know Don Draper and his fellow admen used to drink booze at lunch—a lot of booze. This practice had a name: the three-martini lunch.

One reason why this practice thrived and sharing a drink was an accepted part of the workday was that lunch with salespeople was one critical way that businesspeople learned about their industry. It was also how salespeople formed relationships and built trust with the buyers. In those pre-Internet days, buyers had limited avenues for discovering and researching new products. They could read trade magazines and discover new products that way. Monthly publications, such as Industrial Equipment News and New Equipment Digest, showcased giant inventories of newly introduced products that were essentially rewritten vendor press releases. Buyers could use the reader service cards to get brochures and other content from vendors about their products. The buyers could also attend trade shows where vendors exhibited their products.

And, of course, the potential buyers could go to lunch with salespeople. Over lunch, the salespeople would talk about trends in the sector, pass along industry gossip, discuss their company, and, ultimately, try to win the trust of their potential clients. They did all of this so they could eventually sell the prospect a centrifugal pump, some typewriters, or a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning ...