Active buyers are comparing you to three competitors. Passive buyers aren't shopping yet, and that's exactly the relationship worth building. This episode breaks down why the passive buyer category is the least crowded space in sales, and how to build presence before someone needs you.
Takeaways:
The concept of passive buyers is crucial for sales professionals seeking long-term success.
Understanding that most prospects are not actively seeking solutions is essential for effective outreach.
Engaging with prospects before they begin their buying journey allows for trust to be established.
Sales strategies must evolve to focus on passive buyers, who represent a less competitive market.
Visibility in relevant communities can significantly enhance a salesperson's chances of success.
Sales reps who cultivate relationships early gain advantages that cannot be achieved through cold calling.
Short reads for sales professionals on the move Today's piece the buyer who isn't looking yet.
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Your best prospects aren't looking for you.
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The buyer who's actively shopping is already comparing you to three competitors.
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The one who isn't looking yet.
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That's the relationship worth building.
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There's a category of candidate that recruiters have a name for, the passive job seeker.
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They're not on indeed refreshing their feed.
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They're not updating their resume.
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They're employed, reasonably settled, and not thinking about a move until something lands in front of them at exactly the right moment.
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Then they are Sales has the same category.
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We just don't talk about it as clearly.
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The passive buyer isn't responding to your outreach.
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They're not in an active evaluation.
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They don't have a budget line open and a committee assembled.
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However, they have a problem, even if they haven't named it yet.
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And if you show up in the right place, framed the right way before they start shopping, you are not a vendor.
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You are the person they already trust.
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Most sales activity is built around catching active buyers, people already in the funnel, already aware of the problem, already comparing options.
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That's a legitimate strategy.
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It's also the most competitive place to be.
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Everyone is calling the same list.
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Everyone is pitching the same value prop.
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The passive buyer is a less crowded space, but it requires a different kind of patience and a different kind of presence.
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Reaching passive buyers isn't about volume, it's about placement.
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It means being visible in the communities and spaces your prospects already inhabit.
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Not because they're looking, but because when they are ready, you're already familiar.
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A conference, an association, a niche publication, or a conversation that wasn't a pitch are the infrastructure of a pipeline most reps never build because it doesn't show up on a weekly activity report.
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The goal isn't to interrupt someone who isn't looking.
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It's to already be there when they start.
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The reps who consistently outperform over a long career aren't always the best closers.
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They're often the best at being in the right rooms early.
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They understood somewhere along the way that the sale doesn't start when the prospect raises their hand.
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It starts long before that.
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Here are three things for your consideration.
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What percentage of your pipeline is passive versus active?
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If every prospect you're working with is already in an active buying cycle, you're living deal to deal.
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Passive pipeline takes longer to convert, but tends to close with less friction and more loyalty.
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Do you have any where do your best prospects go when they're not buying?
