--- title: The Web-Educated Buyer versus the Salesperson Expert description: Your salespeople should assume that they are the last place a buyer goes, not the first. They need to facilitate the sale, not control the information. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/smallshutterstock_100565794.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-web-educated-buyer-versus-the-salesperson-expert#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # The Web-Educated Buyer versus the Salesperson Expert August 11th, 2021 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/smallshutterstock_100565794.jpg?width=3888&height=2592&name=smallshutterstock_100565794.jpg) Your salespeople should assume that they are the last place a buyer goes, not the first. They must assume that very little of their knowledge is proprietary. Salespeople are best when they facilitate the sale, not control the information. Think about the process of buying a car in 1990. You’d be exposed to television and magazine ads. Perhaps you’d purchase a buyers’ guide such as Consumer Reports. You could ask friends and coworkers for advice. But to get detailed information on models, options, and pricing required a dreaded visit to the dealership to talk to the salesperson, who was smugly aware he had all the information power. Today, how do you buy a car? Do you blindly go to visit the dealership to ask the salesperson? Or do you spend hours on the web learning as much as you can and only visit the dealer when you are ready to buy and already know everything you need to get a good deal? Remarkably, many companies, B2B as well as consumer brands like car dealers, are still operating in a world as if the salesperson is the king of the information kingdom. Companies insist on driving all online interactions to a salesperson. Are you managing your sales and marketing process using 1995 calculus? Do you assume that salespeople are the fonts of all knowledge and all information flows through them? If so, I think you are less successful than you could be. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Sales Strategies ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/sales-strategies) [ New Rules of Sales & Service ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/new-rules-of-sales-service) [ Business to Business ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/business-to-business) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg?width=1500&height=1125&name=Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg) ### Please Do Not Play Without Permission November 12th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/please-do-not-play-without-permission) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn-1.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=LinkedIn-1.jpg) ### How LinkedIn Profiles Can Make or Break Complex Sales September 9th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-linkedin-profiles-can-make-or-break-complex-sales) [![A 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