We might not always think about it, but the way businesses make purchasing decisions has changed dramatically over time. A recent story on the MicroScope website, based on a Gartner survey, highlights just how complex this process has become, especially for those selling technology products and services.
One key change is the increase in the number of stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions. Budgets and decision-making power have shifted away from the traditional central figure, the IT director, and are now distributed across multiple departments. This forces channel partners and sales teams to invest more effort into building relationships across various parts of an organisation.
At the same time, some vendors are taking advantage of this decentralisation by bypassing IT altogether, introducing their products and services directly to business units. These tactics, while sometimes effective, create an increasingly fragmented buying environment.
More importantly, this situation is causing internal friction for buyers themselves. According to Gartner’s findings, “unhealthy conflict” is emerging within organisations because different departments have differing priorities and definitions of value.
“Buying groups are more diverse than ever, ranging from five to 16 people across as many as four functions. Each member may have differing priorities and opinions,” explained Delainey Kirkwood, principal of research at Gartner. She emphasised the need to foster consensus within these groups and encourage mutual understanding to reduce friction and secure higher-quality deals.
It’s worth noting that the channel has always dealt with challenges, technical complexity, evolving business models, competitive pressure, but internal conflict within customer organisations adds a new layer of difficulty.
One strategy to address this is to tailor sales messaging to the specific needs and perspectives of different stakeholders. However, Kirkwood also cautioned that too much individual-level customisation can reinforce silos, making it harder for teams to align on a shared direction.
In other words, while it’s important to speak to each stakeholder’s concerns, the ultimate goal should be to bring the group together around a common objective. Sales success in today’s environment depends not just on addressing individual needs but also on guiding buying teams toward unified, strategic decisions.
Are you seeing this shift within your own organisation?
If you would like to discuss our sales process with your DSM Account Manager please let us know at sales@dsmdistribution.ie
*Adapted from the following article on Techcentral.ie See article
