When a Buyer Is Ready, Don’t Stand in Their Way

Modern buyers are more informed, more independent, and more decisive than ever. But many salespeople still behave as if their primary job is to convince, persuade, or impress.

Here’s the hard truth: Most deals are lost because the salesperson adds friction that didn’t need to exist.

This week’s lesson is simple but powerful: Get out of the way of the sale.

The Real Reason Buyers Purchase

According to Sandler, out of the last 100 buyers of your product, at least 99 purchased because the solution solved a real pain they had, not because of your sales technique.

That truth is even more relevant today. Buyers have already:

• Identified their problem
• Researched possible solutions
• Compared options
• Asked their network
• Consumed content

By the time they talk to you, they are not waiting to be sold.
They are waiting to be understood.

The Problem: Sellers Add Too Much

Salespeople often over-explain, over-educate, or introduce complexity where the buyer never asked for it.

Common examples in 2025:

• Turning a simple request into a feature pitch
• Trying to “upgrade” a buyer who isn’t asking for it
• Assuming the buyer doesn’t know enough
• Asking questions that aren’t tied to the buyer’s goal
• Talking more than listening

This creates skepticism and slows down the process.

The Better Approach: Facilitate, Don’t Force

You aren’t there to sell... You’re there to help the buyer discover that your solution is the best fit for the problem they already know they have!

The best way to do that is through questions that help the buyer articulate their own reasoning.

Try:

• “What made this option stand out as something worth exploring?”
• “How have you handled this challenge until now?”
• “What will success look like for you once this is solved?”
• “What’s driven the timing for addressing this?”

These questions do two things:

1. They keep you out of the way.

2. They give the buyer more clarity than they walked in with.

That’s value.

Buyers Reward the Seller Who Makes It Easiest

Ease of doing business is a differentiator. It's not always about the price. 

If the buyer feels heard, understood, and respected, they will choose the path of least resistance, which can absolutely be you, if you let it.

TAKEAWAY OR CHALLENGE

Where can you simplify your process, ask fewer questions, and create more space for your buyer to sell themselves?

Good Selling, Great Leading! – The MCG Team