Who are you talking to? How great sales reps approach aware vs unaware buyers

You’ve heard the expression used to describe great salespeople: “they could sell sand in the desert.”

What it doesn’t express is that selling sand to someone in a desert is the definition of a warm lead—scorching hot, in fact. They’re aware of the product (sand). They know its functions and uses.

What can be more challenging in most sales scenarios is selling sand to someone who’s never even heard of it. A lead like that will take an age to close, as you educate your prospect on all the many benefits of… sand.

Whether you’re selling sand, surgical tools, or software (or many other things not beginning with ‘s’), speaking to aware vs unaware buyers requires different approaches. Pitch too hard to the unaware buyer and you’ll lose their trust. Move too slowly with the aware buyer, and they’ll go elsewhere.

Of course, it helps if they have someone to practice with whenever they want. Say, an AI sales training platform that can emulate the conversation and behavior of both aware and unaware prospects. Something like you get with UneeQ Sales Trainer!

Great sales reps know the difference between aware and unaware leads. The best ones practice the difference.

In this blog, we’ll break down how to tailor your pitch to each type of buyer, and how to make effective use of training for either scenario.

Analyzing the aware buyer: informed, direct, and demanding

An aware buyer has done their homework. They’ve likely compared your solution to competitors, read reviews, maybe even spoken to peers. They're coming into the conversation with a clear idea of what they need, and they’re ready to be convinced that you're the right fit.

What aware buyers need from you

Reps shouldn’t waste their time (or that of their prospect) starting from the beginning. Instead, conversation can take a more advanced form.

Focus on:

• Reassuring the prospect that your product/service does what it promises;
• Uncovering any reservations they have about the product or service;
• Providing proof points like case studies and ROI metrics;
• Delivering a clean, confident sales pitch that respects their time.

So, come to the call prepared with information about your USP and data on your product’s success. And be prepared to follow up with similar examples—one-pagers, case studies, etc.

Your approach on a sales call with aware buyers

Also prepare to demonstrate your soft skills to an aware buyer. You’re no longer taking the position of a high-level educator, but a consultant who can get into the details. 

For instance, if you’re selling nutritional supplements to an aware buyer, you won’t be talking about the importance of, say, protein in their diet, but what your protein offers that other brands don’t.

Some good traits of a sales rep in this case include:

• Being consultative, not pushy: Focus on validation, not persuasion.
• Nailing your value prop: Articulate exactly why your solution is the best choice.
• Handling objections with authority: Expect comparison questions and be ready to differentiate.

How to practice this scenario

Awareness can make buyers more skeptical, not less. They know a lot, they’ve perhaps tried your competitors. Your job isn’t just to know more, but to deliver that knowledge in a confident way.

Managers can set up aware buyers in UneeQ Sales Trainer to help reps deliver crisp messaging, anticipate difficult questions, and maintain calm under pressure. 

Keep an eye on your Sales Trainer analytics—one of the best parts of your sales training software. It’s important to listen more than you talk, letting the prospect tell you what they need before giving clear answers. You can also see your use of filler words in analytics. Try to keep these to a minimum to project more confidence.

Analyzing the unaware buyer: curious, cautious, and coachable

On the flip side, unaware buyers may not even recognize they have a need—yet. They might be stuck in outdated workflows or unaware of what modern solutions can do.

They’re not comparison shopping; they’re still learning the language. And it’s the rep’s opportunity to leverage that through education to create a great relationship. Sell effectively to an unaware buyer and you may have a customer for life.

What unaware buyers need from you

Unaware prospects will generally need quite a lot—a lot of information and a lot of hand-holding. Reps may like to focus on:

• Educating the prospect about the broader problem your solution solves, and its impact;
• Delivering stories that show relevance and urgency;
• Becoming a trusted guide to help them make sense of it all.

As much as all that, unaware buyers need to feel confident that they know enough after the discussion to make an informed decision. So be as clear and as concise as possible—don’t muddy the waters with jargon just to showcase your own knowledge.

Your approach on a sales call with unaware buyers

Unaware buyers typically need more information to make a decision. It’s your job to deliver it, without confusing them in the process.

Some good tactics in this case include:

• Understand their position: Start by asking questions to better tailor your conversation.
• Lead with empathy and insight: The prospect should feel empowered by your conversation; they shouldn’t feel stupid for not knowing what you do. 
• Introduce the pain, then the product: Connect the dots between their daily struggles (the things they are aware of) and your solution.
• Be patient: Building awareness takes time and emotional intelligence.
  

How to practice this scenario:

Selling to unaware buyers is where emotional intelligence matters most. With your role as an educator, you might end up talking more in these scenarios than with aware buyers, but the conversation should never be one-sided.

Managers in UneeQ Sales Trainer can create practice scenarios with unaware buyers (it’s why it helps to use customizable sales enablement tools). Reps can then get a feel for how the conversation flows, and see if they’re being clear enough in their delivery. Sales Trainer will help reps recognize cues, pace the conversation, and use storytelling to plant the seed of change, without overwhelming the buyer.

How to practice sales conversations better with AI sales roleplay

Remember, unaware and aware aren’t binary. Each buyer will have a different level of understanding. Some might even fall between the two categories.

With UneeQ Sales Trainer, sales leaders can customize their training scenarios to best fit their buyers. Some will be aware, some unaware, and some will lie somewhere in the middle.

Sales managers and leaders then have a wealth of analytics to see which reps perform best in each role, as an educator to the unaware or a close consultant to your most aware buyers.

Of course, the best salespeople know how to switch gears between different buyers and adapt to the needs of each. But that adaptability doesn’t happen by chance—it takes practice.

Which is exactly why UneeQ Sales Trainer exists. If you’d like to learn more, see a demo, or even start a free trial, simply get in touch.

Whether you’re aware or unaware of how AI sales roleplay works, we’ll help you figure out how it best applies to your organization and your team. 😉

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