This Is Not Your Dad’s Sales Job

There was a time in B2B sales when a customer needs analysis “CNA” meant exactly that. You’d call on a company that had never heard of you, they’d give you the time, and they’d spill their guts about every challenge and need they had. You’d ask questions, they’d answer, you’d take notes, and they’d trust you to come back with a thoughtful solution.

When you got the deal, you carried a special pen for contract signings. It was a big moment. The customer was in for the long haul.

That world is gone. The relic of a pre-internet world.

Today’s Buyer

The average modern buyer is overworked, distracted, and skeptical. They don’t have time to sit through two-hour discovery sessions with strangers. They are unlikely to answer 40 probing questions about their business. And they sure as hell don’t believe you have their best interests at heart just because you called them.

They already know solutions exist. If they have a problem, they’ve Googled it. They’ve read reviews. They’ve checked competitors. And they assume if your company was any good, they would’ve found you, not the other way around.

So now, when you show up? You’re speed dating. Buyers want three things, fast:

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do?

3. Why are you different from what I already use?

That’s it. More often than not, you don’t get hours of discovery. You get minutes to make it credible. I believe Jill Konrath articulated this well in her book, SNAP SELLING.

The Sale After the Sale

The first “yes” isn’t really a yes anymore. Most buyers want a way to try you. They don’t want to hear your full pitch deck. They want the lowest barrier of entry to experience what working with you feels like. At a minimum, they are reserving final judgment on your product or service until their user experience can be established.

That’s the new battleground: onboarding and early experience. The sale after the sale.

If the first 30–60 days go smoothly, you’re in. If they don’t, no discount or “trusted advisor” talk will save you.

Why This Creates Tension

Here’s the rub: product and operations expect sellers to run full diligence and set perfect expectations. But sellers in this world are moving at the speed of the buyer — fast, light, iterative. They don’t always have the luxury of deep-dive diligence before the first “yes”.

That tension between sales and operations is only growing. And unless leaders on both sides recognize it, it can tear companies apart.

What to Do About It

1. Prioritize company & buyer ICP identification. Maximize seller engagement with deals where pitch and outcome are most likely to align.

2. Shorten your story. Get to “who we are / what we do / why it’s different” in 60 seconds.

3. Design low-barrier trials. If buyers want to experience you, make it easy.

4. Invest in onboarding. Treat the first 30 days as the true close. That’s when trust is built or broken.

The old sales world was about process & persuasion. The new one is about proof, fast.