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Wouldn’t It Be Great to Take a Test Drive Without a Salesperson in the Back Seat?

OK, so I need a new car…sigh…(dread)…

You know, the shame of it is, I like cars.  I REALLY like new cars.  But  what I really don’t like is shopping for new cars.  I know websites can give me all kinds of information to arm me to the teeth when I actually have to go into to hand-to-hand combat with the car salespeople; however, the one thing they can’t provide me is how the car “feels” when I drive it.  Say what you like, but I cannot make any decision on any car without driving it first.  I find this to be a real challenge.  First, there is the issue of how I get treated at car dealerships by car salespeople.  Second, there is the amount of time required for test drives.  And third, those flippin’ salespeople are going to want to ride in the back seat with me on my test drive.  Ugh…

OK, now for some cold water: It turns out that many CEOs and CFOs feel exactly the same way about software purchases and software salespeople as I do about buying a car and dealing with car salespeople (In the spirit of full disclosure:  I am one of those software people).  Now, I get all kinds of rebuttals when I speak with my friends in the industry, but the fact is that they don’t write cartoons about your industry for no reason (see Scott Adams).

 

A NAV test drive will be more fun than this guy is having.

 

What my feelings about buying a car and the feelings of those C-levels have in common is buyers limit their options because they want to avoid the sales process.  They do this in several ways.

  • First, they simply don’t shop; they stick with what they have, good or bad.
  • Second, they keep their information to themselves.  This is a real issue because no one can help us make a good decision if they don’t understand our true needs from the solution (whether that is a car, software, home, or television).
  • Third, they avoid sales people like the plague.  Truly unfortunate, because when it comes to cars and software, people who buy them a lot probably don’t do it more than ten times in the LIVES!  How are we supposed to be good at something we only do ten times?  Even worse, when we do it, we don’t like it, so most of us will never reach the pitifully low number of ten.  A professional sales person can not only help people make better decisions, but they can also help make the purchasing process much more efficient.

So how do we help buyers have a better experience?  Microsoft has a solution.  You can take software for a test drive.  That’s right, in the privacy of your own office, you can watch a few demos, get a feel for the system, and then take the software for a spin on your own.  So, if you really would like to have better information to run your business but simply can’t bear the process of buying software, take Microsoft Dynamics for a spin—you’ll be glad you did.  No obligation, no salesperson required.  Maybe the car guys should try that.  OK, very last bit of full disclosure: 25 years ago I started my career selling new cars.  If you have questions or I may help in any way…give me a call (574-344-2153) or email, seriously I won’t bite.

 

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Partner Innovia Consulting

Tom Doran

Tom Doran

Tom Doran is the Chief Marketing Officer at Innovia Consulting, where he leads the Customer Engagement efforts (which includes sales, account management, and marketing functions). He has over 20 years' experience helping companies get the solutions they need from technology. In addition, he has extensive food industry experience and serves on the board of the YMCA of Michiana.

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