The Great Seller-Buyer Divide
(or, isn't it weird that we hate being sold to but still insist on selling to people)
Hey there!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Be More Buyable. If you’re reading this you’re witnessing history. Kinda.
Anyway, I want to kick things off with a slightly weird observation that actually provided the aha moment behind Buyability.
I’m going to jump in at the deep end and call out the elephant in the room…
People hate salespeople.
There. I said it.
And seeing as most agency owners are the de facto salespeople for their agencies (at least to start with) then logic dictates people hate you too.
Okay, maybe this is a little unfair. Because the nuance is: they don’t hate the salesperson, they hate being sold to.
Which is a crucial difference. More hate the game than hate the player.
Let’s back this up with some eye-popping stats:
75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free sales experience. (Source)
In 2021, 87% of buyers wanted to self-serve part or all of the buying journey. Today, it's virtually 100%. (Source)
Buyers hate being sold to. They don't want to be contacted out of the blue, rushed into making a decision, or interrogated about their business goals. (Source)
So yeah… it’s pretty clear that B2B buyers do NOT want to be sold to. In fact, they actively try to avoid it. Ouch.
But if you’re still skeptical then ask yourself this:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy being sold to?
Here’s my answer: a solid, resounding 1. One. O.N.E.
All those irrelevant cold pitches in my DMs? Yuck.
Those people that start asking questions as if to disguise the fact they’re going to pitch me? Double yuck.
People at networking events who corner me and start droning on about their random services in the hope that I might by some miraculous circumstance be interested in buying. Triple yuck. And I’m heading straight for the bar.
Now, I reckon you’re probably similar to me. Maybe not as low as a 1, but probably below 5. Unless you just love the attention.
But given I see people moaning about being sold to all the time, it’s safe to assume most of us would rather it never happen.
But isn’t that a little confusing? Because…
We then insist on doing the EXACT thing we don’t like.
Like what’s all that about?
We all moan about getting random DMs, getting pitch-slapped, having pricing info withheld until we book a call, being forced through long-winded sales funnels.
And then we see advice telling us to do exactly those things and we just follow along like sheep, not stopping for even a second to question whether we really should be doing those things.
You know, those things we all hate.
And now with AI we can do even more of All Those Hated Sales Tactics™ at a larger scale than ever before.
Which is really great news if your aim is to piss off more of your potential buyers.
And this is that weird observation that I teased before. That uncomfortable tension between what sellers do and what buyers want.
It’s the Great Seller-Buyer Divide.
And I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking…
Fine if I can’t sell then how on earth am I supposed to make any actual money or grow my agency, smartarse?
Which leads me to the other side of the divide.
Because as much as people hate being sold to, they actually love buying stuff.
If I have a pressing, painful problem and find a clear and compelling solution, then I will happily exchange my hard-earned money to buy it. I’ll bite their hands off to get that solution.
And it’s not because I’m a shopping addict (though I might be) - it’s because I don’t want to struggle with problems.
So, if people are happy to buy but hate being sold to, what lever can you possibly pull as an agency owner / reluctant salesperson?
Simple: You should focus on being more buyable. On being easier to buy.
And in practice that means aligning how you sell with how people want to buy.
87% of B2B buyers find independent research more efficient than conversations with salespeople. (Source)
In 81% of cases, the buyer has chosen a preferred vendor before talking to sellers. (Source)
73% of B2B buyers actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach. (Source)
These stats show you the new approach to sales. The buyer-centric approach.
It’s about being:
Desirable — Solving a compelling problem with a clear solution.
Decidable — Being full transparent around pricing, timelines, outputs, etc.
Discoverable — Using content and demand gen to be front of mind when you’re needed.
This is why I came up with Buyability. It’s what I’m betting big on. It’s how agencies can bridge that Great Seller-Buyer Divide. How they can sell more without selling out.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
PS. If you’re curious about how buyable your agency is, then why not take the free self-assessment and find out? If you dare mwahahahah…