Almost every time someone chooses to work with you they are essentially "buying" what you have and they do it because they get a feeling in their gut that you will satisfy what they want. The only way for people to get that good feeling is by asking questions. And sometimes the people having the responsibility to make a buying decision don't know what questions to ask. I think that's why salespeople started talking so much - they are trying to get to the questions that matter. And it's also why so many of us don't like salespeople...they ask too many questions or they ramble on and on about some feature or benefit of their service or product. So while it's probably safe to say we all love an informed, trusted provider of products and services, they really are hard to find.

These days, we seem to be more worried that we can't trust anyone but ourselves, so we end up doing a lot more research and spending valuable time before making choices. While research seems like the "right" (ok, smart) thing to do, and we certainly have more information than ever, I sometimes long for the days when I could simply make my decision based on what I got from a trusted salesperson. And you know what? I still try to do that every chance I get. I'll bet if I was retentive enough to track my purchasing successes and mistakes, focusing on the amount of time and effort I spent before the decision, I'd find that the absolute, most efficient and successful way to make a purchase decision is relying on a good sales person. But like I said, they are hard to find.

It seems that things like Angie's List, Consumer Reports and other aggregators of "quality products and services" are good. But in the self service department of finding the "good xyz", I think blogs are the way to go. I find I can sort through the messaging fairly quickly. The complainers always outnumber the "atta-boys" and it's pretty easy to weed out the critics and come to some conclusions.

Friends and family are of course our best sources when we're making purchasing decisions, but only because they have a fairly narrow scope, particularly when it comes to our work lives, so we need help. In order, I say here's the best way to make purchases:

1. Hone your gut by trusting it every chance you get. Learn from the times it let you down.  
2. Do your research only from the point of learning what to ask a salesperson or from a professional services firm, the "business development" person. (You have to love the fact that professional firms find sales people so disdainful they give them a fancy name.)

Find and hold on tight to salespeople you trust. Treat them really, really well by being honest with them and paying them what they are worth. Remember, people like to do business with people they like, and part of why the "like" is there is because there is respect and trust. Find salespeople that sometimes exhibit behavior that runs counter to their own interests because it's better for you. When people do this, the process of credibility and trust-building accelerates dramatically and you get what I call "full-service sales" - you don't have to work so hard or worry about the purchase because you know your needs are ahead of theirs.
Come join our discussion on our blog, or I welcome your feedback through email.