The Collaborative Sale: Solution Selling in a Buyer Driven World

DEFINITIONS

Throughout this book, we use the following words to express certain general concepts. These words could have different nuances of meaning depending on the industry and specific application in which they might be used. For the purposes of this book, we have tried to maintain consistency in the use of these terms. To avoid confusion, we define them here for the reader.

• Buyer—A person who is involved in the evaluation or decision to purchase a product, service, or solution. This could be someone acting as an individual or as part of a group. The buyer could be of any title, function, or rank—this role is not limited to a dedicated purchasing or procurement professional.
• Buyer 2.0—Modern buying behaviors characterized by an abundance of research and information gathering, engaging sellers much later in their buying process and having a high aversion to risk.
• Customer/client—A buyer with whom a seller has a prior business relationship, either individually or with that buyer's organization.
• Persona—A character role that a seller needs to assume and/or play, in order to align with Buyer 2.0 processes and concerns.
• Prospect—A buyer with whom a seller does not have a prior business relationship, either individually or with that buyer's organization.
• Sales collaboration—Buyers and sellers bringing their ideas and perspectives together using a transparent and commonly understood structure, in shared physical or virtual space, to solve mutually recognized problems or to benefit ...