The next generation of sales has arrived. Salespeople are overhauling their sales skills to meet the requirements of new tools, processes, systems, technologies and ultimately their customers. As they sharpen their skills and sales talent, they realize the selling rules are changing and they can no longer survive selling from a Sales 1.0 perspective.

The buying rules are changing too. According to the findings of the Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Study 2007-2008, by Marketing Sherpa which included over 4,658 Technology buyers and decision-makers, buying influences are shifting to mega-committees. In today's B2B markets, as mergers and acquisitions continue to dominate corporate environments, more and more people are involved in the decision-making process, but fewer people have power to make a purchase decision. As the political landscape becomes more complex, the probability of selling to the wrong decision-maker is greater than ever.

Selling to People with the Power to Buy becomes essential. Salespeople go after big titles believing they have influence without realizing they don't.

But how do you know if you are dealing with a powerless contact? The following are 10 signs to pay attention to:

10 signs that lead to the powerless

1. They say no often without understanding what the solution is about.
2. They love talking with vendors and act as though they have power.
3. They ask for a lot of busy work - more research, demos, competitive analysis, etc.
4. They ask lots of questions–most of them are really good questions and most require additional legwork on your part.
5. They really like your product/service and really get it. They know how it fits in and how they would implement it.
6. They insist that vendors only speak with them and discourage any contact with their boss.
7. They usually don't like to give their boss's name and assure you they are your main contact.
8. They complain about not having any budget.
9. They stall and ask you to call back next quarter.
10. They schedule meetings that get rescheduled at the last minute because something more important took priority.