Leaders saw the downstream effects immediately: • Forecasts slipping at the finish line • Discounts creeping in “to get it over the line” • CRMs optimistic by a mile because budget and approval path weren’t mapped
• Weeks spent on suspects who were never going to buy
That’s not a lack of effort. It’s a lack of system, and that is why selling smarter must be a leadership agenda. Because leadership owns the system: the standards, the cadence, the definitions, the behaviours that get inspected, and the conditions that make momentum visible.
What buyers said
When we listened closely, buyers weren’t asking for theatrics. They wanted clarity and momentum. We repeatedly heard variations of: • “We’d shortlisted you before the meeting. Stop opening with your company slide.”
• “Give me the operational impact in one page. What gets better, by when?”
• “If you can’t reply fast with something useful, I assume implementation will be slow too.”
• “Walk the approval path with me. Who needs what to say yes?”
That last one is the giveaway for senior leaders. Buying is no longer a single conversation. It’s a chain of internal approvals, competing priorities, risk management, stakeholder alignment and timing. The supplier who can help buyers navigate that chain, simply, clearly, and quickly, becomes the easier choice.
From opinion to evidence: the Buyer Revolution lens I didn’t want to write “my best ideas from 35 years”. I wanted the book grounded in what buyers say matters.
Over three years we ran The Buyer Revolution research, in association with Lube Media, and the insights reflect the common themes and behavioural shifts observed across these five data sets: Solve Your Own Problems, Speed of Response, People or Brand, Day-to-Day Activities, and The Account Manager.
Different questions. Overlapping truths.
Buyers expect suppliers to help them self-serve, respond quickly, cut the jargon, know their application realities, and make the experience simpler, not noisier. For senior
50 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.191 FEBRUARY 2026
Five leadership moves that change results fast If you lead a commercial organisation in lubricants, here are five high-leverage shifts that improve momentum, forecast accuracy and margin:
leaders, the implication is clear: if your organisation still assumes that relationships and patience will carry deals, you’ll leak momentum to competitors who deliver speed, clarity and proof earlier.
What “selling smarter” actually means Selling smarter isn’t about being pushier. It’s about being sharper.
In practice, it looks like this: • Validate, then elevate: confirm what the buyer already knows, then add one fresh insight that moves the decision forward.
• Speed wins: acknowledge fast, add value immediately, and propose a next step the same day.
• Qualify hard: suspects never buy. Map budget, approval path and the economic buyer early to avoid single-thread risk.
• Outcomes over features: translate technical excellence into operational impact in plain English.
• Work to the buyer’s rhythm: digital first, hybrid thereafter; replace “check-ins” with tools buyers can use now.
This is where leadership makes the difference: not by telling people to “sell better”, but by making these behaviours inspectable and repeatable.
These aren’t theories. They’re habits. Built into calendars. Baked into reviews. Visible in CRMs. They remove drama and replace hope with a disciplined next step.
The digital and AI reality There’s a lot of noise about digital transformation and AI. The practical point is simple: buyers are already digital. Shortlists form before you arrive. Questions are asked in portals and chat. Trust is built (or lost) by how quick and helpful you are online.
AI is becoming table stakes for speed and consistency, summarising notes, drafting first-pass emails, pulling case snippets, prioritising follow-ups. Not to automate relationships, but to remove admin friction so your team can spend more time preparing better questions, crafting clearer outcomes, and following up faster. Think augment, not automate.
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