Think like a buyer, not a seller—shift sales in material handling from product features to buyer outcomes.
By Nicole Needles
IN THE FAST-PACED world of material handling, companies often fall into the trap of selling first and listening second. Sales teams focus on showcasing forklifts, conveyors, warehouse automation systems or service contracts, assuming a compelling product demonstration or price point will seal the deal.
Jen Allen-Knuth, founder of DemandJen, sales trainer and speaker featured at the 2025 Women in Industry Conference, explains: “Nobody wakes up wanting to buy forklifts, conveyors, warehouse automation or service contracts. They wake up wanting fewer safety incidents, faster throughput, less downtime, more accurate picks and a smoother peak season.”
This perspective underscores the importance of shifting from a seller-centric mindset to a buyer-centric approach. By understanding buyer psychology, material handling companies can craft compelling “why them” and “why now” messages that resonate with the true drivers behind purchase decisions.
From Features to Outcomes
The biggest mindset shift, Allen-Knuth emphasizes, is moving from “Here’s what we sell” to “Here’s what makes your job harder than it needs to be.”
“When sellers lead with buyer outcomes, not product features, they earn the right to a strategic conversation,” she notes.
This approach is particularly critical in material handling, where solutions often involve complex implementation and cross-functional coordination. Buyers are not merely evaluating a machine or software; they are assessing risk, disruption and the potential impact on operations. Understanding this allows sellers to address concerns proactively and foster trust.
Common Misconceptions About Buyer Motivation
Many sellers mistakenly assume that buyers are primarily motivated by price or product specifications.
“Buyers are motivated by risk,” Allen-Knuth clarifies. They will often pay a premium for solutions that minimize disruption, simplify change management, ensure safer installations or accelerate time to value. Similarly, a strong product demonstration alone rarely creates urgency. Instead, urgency arises when the buyer clearly understands the problem they need to solve. “Solutions don’t create urgency. Problem clarity does,” she explains.
This distinction is subtle but powerful. By helping buyers articulate the challenges they face, sales teams can align their messaging with the buyers’ internal priorities, creating a stronger case for action.
Real-world Impact of Buyer-centric Selling
Allen-Knuth provides a tangible example from the world of robotic automation. One client experienced stalled deals not because buyers doubted the technology but because operations managers feared being blamed if implementation slowed the production floor. Once the sales team shifted the conversation from product features to addressing implementation risks, deals moved forward more smoothly.
“Deals moved faster because the buyer’s real fear was addressed, even though they never said it out loud,” Allen-Knuth recalls.
This example illustrates that understanding the psychological drivers behind purchase decisions – such as fear, accountability or internal politics – can dramatically improve sales outcomes.
Identifying Buyer Pain Points Understanding what motivates a buyer begins with research. Allen-Knuth advises sales teams to start by analyzing the company’s business objectives. Are they launching new products? Expanding into a new market? Seeking to streamline operations after a merger? From there, sellers can hypothesize about the obstacles that might hinder success. These obstacles often reveal the pain points that can trigger a purchase decision.
Subtle signals can also indicate when a buyer is ready to engage more seriously. Allen-Knuth highlights four behaviors that often go overlooked:
- The buyer begins asking about internal rollout rather than just product features.
- They introduce cross-functional voices, such as IT, safety, finance or HR.
- They start using “we” instead of “you,” signaling collective consideration.
- They ask for examples of similar companies that failed to change, indicating they are building an internal business case.
Recognizing these signals allows sales teams to adjust their approach, providing the correct information at the right time to support internal decision-making.
Tailoring Messaging for Different Buyers
Modern sales strategies increasingly rely on personalized messaging. Allen-Knuth suggests a simple yet effective method: “One ChatGPT prompt I use for this is ‘What would be hard about being the TITLE at ACCOUNT right now?’ It pulls in recent events, regulatory changes and news related to the company and hypothesizes what might make their job difficult.”
By stepping into the buyer’s shoes, sellers can craft communications that resonate with specific challenges, increasing relevance and credibility. This approach also allows teams to anticipate objections and proactively offer solutions that address the buyer’s priorities, not just the product’s capabilities.
Measuring Alignment With Buyer Motivations
How can companies ensure their messaging truly aligns with what buyers care about? Allen-Knuth offers two practical strategies. First, observe buyer behaviors. Are prospects asking questions instead of going radio silent? Are sales teams winning on value rather than discounting? Are buyers voluntarily involving additional stakeholders? These actions indicate engagement and alignment.
Second, test messaging with existing, satisfied customers. “It’s human nature to correct. When we ask customers to critique our work and give them the red pen, they’re often eager to weigh in,” she explains. This feedback loop provides valuable insights into how messaging lands with the intended audience and reveals areas for refinement.
Emerging Trends in Buyer Behavior
The material handling industry is evolving rapidly. Rising material and labor costs are driving buyers to seek cost-saving automation solutions. Additionally, the digital age has transformed decision-making.
Buyers often conduct extensive research before contacting suppliers, entering discussions with a foundational understanding of products and options. Allen-Knuth emphasizes that this shifts the seller’s role: “We have to shift our value from simply educating to helping them de-risk change.”
Sellers who recognize this shift can focus on addressing implementation concerns, validating solutions and highlighting the tangible benefits of change, rather than merely presenting technical specifications.
The Modern Seller’s Role
Ultimately, successful sellers in today’s market act less as persuaders and more as facilitators. Great sellers help buyers navigate complex decisions and understand the consequences of maintaining the status quo.
“Buyers convince themselves with the information they have available to them. Modern sellers help buyers convince themselves by shining a light on what the status quo is costing them – financially, operationally and competitively,” Allen-Knuth notes.
By adopting this mindset, sales professionals create an environment where change becomes the safer, smarter choice for the buyer. This approach not only drives more strategic conversations but also strengthens long-term partnerships built on trust and shared outcomes.
The material handling industry, with its complex products and high-stakes decisions, demands a buyer-centric sales approach. Shifting the focus from what you sell to why a buyer should care requires understanding psychology, anticipating pain points and tailoring messaging to resonate with real operational challenges.
Allen-Knuth’s insights illuminate the path forward: Prioritize outcomes over features, address risk over price and facilitate rather than persuade. By thinking like a buyer rather than a seller, material handling companies can engage more meaningfully with prospects, accelerate deal cycles and ultimately create lasting value for both their customers and their business.
In the end, the question is not whether your product is the best, but whether your buyer sees it as the answer to their most pressing problems. And as Allen-Knuth reminds us, “When sellers do that well, the buyer sees change as the safer choice.”
Article Takeaways
1. Shift From Product to Outcome. – Focus on solving the buyer’s real challenges rather than leading with features or price.
2. Understand and Address Buyer Risk. – Buyers act to minimize disruption and uncertainty, so highlight how your solution reduces risk.
3. Observe Signals and Personalize Messaging. – Pay attention to subtle buyer behaviors and tailor communications to their specific pain points and priorities.
