Buyer Expectations Are Changing: Here’s What You Need To Know

Today’s buyers have become increasingly discerning when it comes to their technology investments. In the early stages of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics adoption, buyers were often sold on potential alone. Claims like “We’re the first to use AI” once carried weight. But today, those words don’t mean as much. Simply leveraging AI isn’t a differentiator anymore. Buyers expect channel leaders to clearly show how their solutions can deliver tangible results and lasting impact.

For channel professionals, keeping up with the market is the name of the game—and the difference between a win and a loss. There’s no silver bullet, but I believe there is a winning formula. Channel innovators can stay ahead of the curve by anchoring selling conversations in three key pillars: relationship-building, deep understanding of pain points and a clear connection to business outcomes.

These pillars can not only expand and strengthen your ecosystem but also offer the kind of proof today’s buyers are looking for.

A Winning Formula

Step 1: Lead with relationships.

Every strong channel leader understands the value of relationship building. The channelis one of the most powerful relationship ecosystems a business can leverage. But with competing priorities and growing to-do lists, it’s easy for this work to be deprioritized. Still, the data is clear: 69% of enterprises are actively engaging in ecosystems to bolster growth and deepen strategic connections.

To make selling conversations more effective, channel professionals must make time to strengthen relationships, not just as salespeople, but as trusted collaborators in driving shared success. Whether it’s supporting them by positioning solutions, engaging in strategic conversations about growth or aligning on market opportunities, a channel professional’s priority is always to ensure potential buyers have what they need to win.

By fostering open dialogue, ongoing engagement and alignment, channel professionals can bring value to customers and succeed alongside the vendor partners they represent.

Step 2: Understand real-world pain points.

It may seem obvious, but identifying customer pain points is an absolute must in the seller-buyer conversation. In the industrial manufacturing industry, for example, channel professionals must deeply understand the struggles that manufacturers experience every day, such as production delays and quality control issues. This kind of expertise can’t be found in a book or a GenAI output—it only comes from working closely with the individuals who walk the factory floor and speak firsthand to factory operators, line managers and maintenance technicians.

Establishing these kinds of cross-organizational relationships will allow channel professionals to connect more deeply with their savvy buyers. Being able to have these strategic, collaborative conversations on behalf of buyers not only helps channel professionals address today’s pain points but also anticipate tomorrow’s as well. Just like technology, pain points are (for better or worse) ever evolving, which means keeping tabs on them is a continuous process.

Step 3: Connect to business outcomes.

Being able to make the connection to desired outcomes is the difference between a new buyer and a potential loss. Selling immediate outcomes may seem like the easiest way to score a win, but channel professionals need to look at their buyers’ big picture. The best kind of questions to ask at this stage of the conversation are: “What is your vision for your organization?” or “What does your five-year plan look like?”

Anyone can plug and play discrete solutions that, technically, meet a buyer’s immediate needs. But the best channel partners are those who take time to learn about long-term desired outcomes like a streamlined tech stack, more efficient processes and a tech-empowered workforce.

At this point, it’s not just about learning where the buyer wants to be tomorrow—it's about working together to map out a path for the foreseeable future, with notable outcomes serving as landmarks along the way.

For channel professionals, these three pillars can deepen impact, win over discerning buyers and provide the competitive edge needed to succeed in today’s fast-paced technology environment.