Selling to today’s buyer means showing up with relevance, clarity, and speed. In a world trained by TikTok and flooded with options, trust is earned before the first call. The buyer under 40 doesn’t want a demo, brochure, or “latest lease option.” They’ve already Googled the device, read a subreddit trashing your competitor, and found a blog from 2019 where your CEO promised to revolutionize workflows. You’re not their first stop. You’re barely the fifth.
Your prospects, from the auto shop to the F100 manufacturer, show up with a browser full of comparisons and can smell your pitch a mile away. They don’t want an education. They want relevance.
Back in the early 2000s, walking in with a DCA made you sound futuristic. Now they’ve probably had two installed, maybe removed. They know their fleet. They’ve read the contract. What they want is someone who can make sense of it all.
Often, you’re not the starting point. You’re stepping into something already in motion.
Relevance beats rapport
Yesterday’s advice said, “build rapport.” Spot the golf trophy. Compliment the breakroom snacks. That’s horse pucky. It doesn’t work. Prospects stopped caring who noticed. Today, buyers connect when they feel understood. They want authenticity, not fakery.
Don’t ask about their weekend. Everyone opens with that. Get to the problem: “I work with teams tired of chasing invoices. That happening over there too?”
It’s not a pitch. It’s a question that opens doors faster than small talk ever will.
Recommendation 1: lead with relevance, not rapport. Skip the small talk. Buyers want insight. Use specific language that connects. Try: “We’ve seen HR struggle with remote onboarding print delays. Sound familiar?”
Access doesn’t equal interest
They opened your email. Answered your call. Maybe even connected on LinkedIn. That’s not a win. That’s just the start.
We’ve all done it—confused attention with engagement. Your open rate doesn’t mean they care. They’re skimming, judging, deciding if you’re worth more time.
You’re not competing with other reps. You’re competing with Slack, lunch, and 14 unread emails with higher priority.
Try this instead: “Field teams printing compliance forms on the road. Sound familiar?”
It’s specific. It’s real. It didn’t come from a vertical list.
Your digital footprint is the first impression
Before they meet you, they meet your LinkedIn. Before they hear your voice, they read your posts. If your presence looks untouched since the fax era, they’re already forming opinions.
Modern prospects want to know what you believe and your take on their problems, not your device specs. You don’t have to be a thought leader. Just don’t hide. Write one post a week. Share a customer moment. Comment on news in your space. Keep it honest and short. If your profile looks alive, you’ll get more live conversations.
Recommendation 2: treat digital presence as your first sales call. Buyers vet you online. LinkedIn speaks before you do. If you’re silent, you’re invisible. Post weekly. No recycled marketing fluff. Just short, honest stories from the field. One of those builds more trust than a polished white paper.
Competing with TikTok
We interrupt people trained to swipe. That’s not a metaphor. It’s how attention works in 2025. Your voicemail, email, live intro. All of it has seconds, not minutes.
Ditch the value statements. Kill the elevator pitch for good. Make your opener count:
“What’s the weirdest thing your office printed this month? Mine was a 97-page tax audit.”
Now there’s curiosity. Maybe a laugh. At least you’re not the fifth rep before lunch.
Recommendation 3: deliver value in 15 seconds or less. Attention is short. If it doesn’t land fast, it’s gone. Craft messages that educate or entertain. Be real. Be quick.
It used to be that we built trust over time. Now, trust is the cost of entry. Could be seven seconds. Could be that comment from 13 months ago. If you’re not credible from the start, there won’t be a second shot.
Today’s buyers hate forced enthusiasm. They want clear answers. And someone willing to say when it won’t work. If that’s you, you’re in. If not, you’re out before you know it.
In the end
Selling today isn’t about sticking to a script. You’ve got to drop the act, listen more than you talk, and pay attention to what matters to the person in front of you. That means keeping pace. Keep giving your prospects and customers a reason to keep the conversation going.
They’re not short on information. They’re drowning in it. They need someone who can help make sense of the noise. Stop selling the box. Say something useful. Be quick. Be clear. Be real and be that person.
When you do that, trust shows up. Not because you’re trying to earn it, but because you’ve stopped sounding like someone who is.
Selling now is mostly about getting comfortable at the edge. Knowing what you don’t know. Asking questions because you’re curious—not because you’re trying to steer the outcome.
Think about how you use tech. You take in information in small bursts. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter. That’s how your customers run too. They want short, smart, relevant input. No buildup. No hook. No overproduced nonsense. Just clarity.
You’ve got seven seconds to earn a second look. If you can show them you’re there to help, you’ve done more than most.
Greg Walters
is an entrepreneur and founder of the notorious destination site TheDeathOfTheCopier, where he comments on all things imaging, the rise of managed services and the advance of business technology. A prolific writer and frequent speaker, Greg shares his passionate, unique – and often provocative – view of technology and people, addressing the impact of digital on 21st century business. His 2014 book, Death Of The Copier, offers a controversial summary of the early days of Managed Print Services and the not-so-distant future of the hard copy industry. Reach out to Greg at greg@grwalters.com.