Yesterday I had a fascinating meeting with execs from one of the larger digital media agencies.  As I have more of these discussions, I’m seeing a pretty interesting pattern developing around the concept of “transparency.”  There are generally a variety of predictable twists / turns - we start with skepticism, head towards intrigue, reach a level of excitement, make another stop by doubt, and then end up at “Yeah, I’ll try that.”  

Skepticism: "You want me to be MORE transparent with sellers?? I can’t handle the current volume of sales calls – how do you expect me to handle more???"
Intrigue: “Oh, so I have a place to refer and filter incoming sales calls?”
Excitement: “Better ideas, less time commitment – and it’s free?”
Doubt: “Wait, but aren’t sellers going to hate this?”
Decision: “OK - makes sense.  Yeah, I’ll try that” 

The fascinating part of the discussion is that moment of Doubt before Decision.  Suddenly, transparency has become a friend rather than an enemy. Send sellers to a website where they can get informed and make a pitch – only spend time with people who impress you with good ideas.  Buyers see such a strong value proposition, they worry the other “side” is getting the short end of the stick.  “This is great for us, but sellers are going to hate this!”  Not true.

Sellers crave transparency.  No seller wants to spend 3 months trying to get a meeting with a buyer only to find they have no chance.  Sure, most sellers believe they could sell ice to eskimos, but they’re also practical.  Given the right information, they’ll focus all their energy / charisma on accounts they know are looking for their product. It turns out transparency is a friend to both sides.