How Superior Products Create Dangerous Relationship Assumptions

What We Find:

One of the most costly discoveries we make: companies with superior products often suffer from "relationship mirage mistake" - they confuse product enthusiasm with buying commitment, technical appreciation with purchase authority, and user satisfaction with decision-maker approval.

The Pattern We See: Sales teams with superior products build great relationships with users who love the product but can't buy it. They invest time in technical teams who appreciate quality but don't control budgets. They assume product enthusiasm translates to purchase urgency. They focus on educating influencers while ignoring economic buyers. Most expensively, they celebrate product demonstrations while competitors close deals with decision makers.

What Most Companies Try:

• Longer relationship-building periods hoping enthusiasm becomes commitment

• Technical demonstrations for increasingly larger audiences

• User adoption strategies that don't involve economic decision makers

• Relationship mapping that identifies influencers but doesn't reach buyers

Why This Doesn't Work:

These approaches confuse relationship breadth with relationship depth in the right places. They build influence without access to authority. They create product advocates without budget authority.

What We Find Works:

Outgrow's systematic approach focuses on economic relationships through structured communication with actual buyers. The "Reverse Did You Know" Question (rDYK) asks what else the customer needs now and soon, identifying buying authority along with buying needs.

When you systematically call customers who recently received orders, you're talking to people who actually make purchasing decisions. The system ensures your people regularly ask for the business from people who can actually say yes.

The Bottom Line: Superior products need relationships with superior buyers. Outgrow provides the systematic framework that builds economic relationships, not just technical relationships.