Hire is evolving beyond products and price. Long-term partnerships are now built on insight, expertise and trust, writes HSS ProService Marketplace Chief Revenue Officer, Huseyin Jones…
Traditionally, sales in the hire industry followed a typical pattern. Understand the requirement, recommend the product, agree the price and complete the transaction. That model still has a place, but on its own it is no longer enough for many complex B2B buying decisions.
Today, the people around the table often represent procurement, operations, finance, sustainability and health and safety. Each has different priorities and often the decision is judged on more than just availability and cost. Compliance, ESG performance, carbon reduction, supply-chain resilience and quality of management information can all influence the outcome. A salesperson who knows only the product catalogue will struggle to answer that broader brief.
The salesperson therefore needs to be a multi-skilled solution provider. That means really understanding the customer’s business, the pressures affecting the sector and the standards against which it is measured. It also means being able to draw on a broad supply chain and connect the right products, services and expertise around a customer’s challenge.
This is particularly important as traditionally analogue industries adopt digital ways of working. Digital transformation cannot simply be sold as a platform or a list of features. Customers need to see how it will improve the working day, for example making products easier to source, giving clearer oversight of activity, supporting compliance or helping teams identify opportunities to reduce cost and carbon.
But not every organisation is at the same stage. A smaller customer using a limited range of products may not need the same depth of management information as a national contractor managing complex, long-term projects. Larger customers may expect continuous innovation, detailed usage data and evidence that suppliers are helping them meet their environmental targets. Good salespeople recognise these differences. They meet the customer where it is today, while helping it understand what could be possible in the future.
That is why education has become such an important part of selling. In a fast-changing market, customers do not always know which information is available or how a new process might help them. It’s the salesperson’s role to translate technology into practical value and give people the confidence to change established behaviours.
At HSS ProService Marketplace, our commercial dashboard gives sales teams a detailed view of how customers are using our marketplace, including product activity, spend, usage and volume. This can support more constructive conversations with customers. I often compare it with internet banking: instead of only seeing an available balance, you can quickly understand what is happening across the entire account.
But the distinction is important. Data should become useful information and that information should then lead to action. Digital tools should not leave salespeople sitting behind laptops. They should help them prepare better questions, spot changes in behaviour, understand where service can improve and make every customer meeting more productive.
The strongest long-term partnerships are built when a supplier becomes genuinely useful to the customer. That means facing challenges alongside them, solving problems and taking responsibility for outcomes. On major projects, for example, having a person closely connected to the work allows them to understand the customer’s daily pressures and respond appropriately. Over time, that proximity builds trust.
Trust also depends on honesty. The hire and supply industry involves many moving parts and occasionally something inevitably will go wrong. A good partner does not hide from that. It acknowledges the issue, acts quickly and learns from it. Customers may understand an isolated problem, but repeated mistakes without improvement will quickly undermine confidence.
Partnership also extends through the supply chain. As a marketplace, we remain accountable for the customer experience, regardless of which supply-chain partner fulfils a particular requirement. We therefore need partners whose standards, values and service commitments are aligned with those of our customers.
Customer expectations will continue to reshape the role of sales. Buyers increasingly expect speed, transparency, insight and a joined-up service, as well as competitive pricing. They also expect their salesperson to anticipate their needs rather than just wait for the next order. That requires curiosity, preparation and the confidence to challenge established approaches when a better option is available. Successful sales teams are those that combine digital intelligence with human expertise, educate rather than simply pitch and measure success by the value they create over time. The transaction may begin the relationship, but usefulness, honesty and shared progress are what turn it into a long-term partnership.
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