Today’s buyer approaches buying much differently than just a few years ago. A few years ago you likely picked up the phone and spoke with a salesperson and let that person know you were interested in buying. Today that’s not so. The buyer in today’s “new economy” is much more interested in forming an opinion and assessing what options they have long before they speak to a salesperson.

So how is a buyer forming opinions and making assessments of their options? They are educating themselves. They are doing this through trusted sources of information such as blogs, websites, e-books, journals, e-newsletters, and forums. The buyer over time is forming solutions based on the information they have gathered that speaks to their pain.

So the question is, how is a buyer in the “new economy” forming opinions about you? Do they find you easily on the Internet? If they find you, is their first impression memorable? Where do they find you on Google? Are you on page one or stuck somewhere deep in the pack? How many times do you appear in a search?

When a customer finds you, do they find it easy to get the information they want and to get it when they want it? Or do they end up having to wait for you to respond? Do you have a “breadcrumb trail” that leads the customer to a predictable experience, or is it all by luck and sales persuasion?

Many companies unfortunately put the majority of their time and effort towards the selling process and little time and effort on the buying process. This leads to frustration and mediocre sales results. In the “new economy” you must align the selling and buying process, or you’ll find a steady erosion of relevance, influence, and value. The “new economy” is not going away. It is only going to become more pronounced.