The secret to successful selling: See it from the buyer's perspective

 

I know my body language said it all when a potential supplier patently ignored me in a meeting where he was outlining his offering. My boss laughed afterwards and said "I knew he was doomed from your expression!" I was the learning and development manager of a global professional services firm at the time, and I was leading the introduction of a new employee engagement survey. As such I had thoroughly project-managed the process, and organised and facilitated the meeting. The potential supplier seemed to be more impressed by the male participants in the meeting, all of whose names he mentioned in turn, missing out mine. I was, quite frankly, staggered!