What is a Buyer Facilitator?

Welcome to the Topaz Sales Consulting Podcast, hosted by Jorge Chavez, President and Co-Founder of Topaz Sales Consulting in Austin, Texas. In this first episode, Jorge introduces a bold and transformative sales philosophy: The Buyer Facilitator. Forget outdated tactics and pressure-based selling. This episode focuses on what it means to truly help someone buy, with integrity, curiosity, and clarity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a Buyer Facilitator is, and what it isn’t
• How shifting your intent can build lasting buyer trust
• Five principles to start facilitating (not pitching)
• Why sales success depends more on honest conversations than closing techniques

Whether you're a sales leader, entrepreneur, or account executive looking to improve, this episode will help you rethink how you engage with prospects and position yourself as a trusted advisor.

Visit TopazSalesConsulting.com for:

• Free video training
• Downloadable tools and PDFs
• Resources to help you and your team become Buyer Facilitators

Subscribe for upcoming episodes on sales leadership, coaching techniques, and real-world problem solving for modern sales teams.

Episode Transcript

Jorge Chavez (00:02):
You're listening to the Topaz Sales Consulting
Podcast. I'm George Chavez,President and Co Founder of
Topaz Sales Consulting here inAustin, Texas. So, what is this
podcast all about? At Topaz,we're always looking for better

ways to fulfill our mission (00:17):
to change how the world perceives,
values, hires, and trainssalespeople. And we've already

created tons of resources (00:25):
video courses, articles, downloadable
tools, PDFs, but we realizesomething important: some people
simply like to listen.
Maybe that's you, in your car,at the gym, or just relaxing at
home. This podcast is anotherway to experience what we're all
about, and to complement thetraining and tools you've

(00:49):
already come to trust. Our hopeis that these episodes help you
communicate more effectively anddevelop more trusting
relationships in all areas ofyour life. And in this first
episode, I'm going to share asales philosophy that will
forever change how you approachselling. It's called being a
buyer facilitator.

(01:09):
So first things first. Whatexactly is a buyer facilitator?
Well, it's not a closer, it'snot a pitch artist, and it's
certainly not a yes chaser. Abuyer facilitator is a guide.
Think of them as a thinkingpartner, a professional

(01:29):
dedicated to helping someonebuy, rather than trying to
convince them.
They earn a buyer's trust byasking better questions, honest
questions. They also value theirbuyer's time, and most
importantly, their own time. So,a little background. Long before
founding Topaz, I was navigatingthe ups and downs of sales teams

(01:53):
at major companies like IBM,Adobe Systems, and Portal
Software, which is now owned byOracle. And at those companies,
I saw firsthand how traditionalsales methods like going for the
yes, pitching, telling,educating buyers, and convincing
often led good people tofrustration, even burnout, while

(02:16):
having limited success.
Then after thirteen years intech, I jumped into
entrepreneurship, first runningmy own Allstate Insurance agency
for seven years, selling it, andthen later moved to Austin,
where around 2015 Topaz SalesConsulting was born. With Topaz,
I wanted to share a new approachto selling. A way of selling

(02:39):
that's built on truth, honesty,and transparency. Not tactics,
not pressure, just genuineconversations. Helping people
buy, helping salespeople lead,doing it the right way.
What is the right way to sellsomething? We believe it's the
buyer facilitator way. It startswith your intent, your purpose

(03:00):
for having a conversation, thenleading with curiosity, asking
better questions, and creatingan environment where your buyer
feels safe being honest. We'renot here to bulldoze objections
or apply pressure tactics. Ourgoal is clarity, truth, and
smart decisions, even if thatdecision is a No, we are not a

(03:20):
good mutual fit at this time.
And if you want to be a buyerfacilitator, here's how to get
started. First, drop the agenda.Forget about closing and shift
your mindset toward askingquestions. Listening, learning,
seeking, and understanding.You're there to facilitate,

(03:41):
helping your buyer solve theright problem and make an
informed decision, notmanipulate.

Number two (03:47):
Build trust before asking for truth. You can't
expect someone to share theirchallenges unless you first
establish genuine rapport. Thatmeans sincere interest,
empathetic listening, and a realconnection. Number three: Stay
infinitely curious. Approacheach interaction like an

(04:11):
investigative journalist,genuinely curious, not just
hunting for an angle or anopening.
You should run out of timebefore you run out of questions.

Number four (04:21):
Go for the no. The right sale happens when both
sides feel free to walk away. Nopressure, no manipulation, just
honest conversations. And numberfive, never solve a problem you
haven't uncovered.
If you're presenting a solutionbefore fully understanding your
buyer's pain, you're justguessing. And guessing isn't

(04:44):
facilitating, it's pitchingblindly. Now these principles
might sound simple, or theymight even contradict some of
your current beliefs aboutsales. If what you're doing
seems to be working for you, byall means, keep doing it. But if
you want to start buildingbetter long term relationships,
it may benefit you to adopt thebuyer facilitator way.

(05:08):
And putting these concepts intopractice day after day, that's
where the real change happens.It's what transforms salespeople
from mere vendors into trustedadvisors. So as for Topaz Sales
Consulting, we've built ourentire philosophy around helping
sales leaders and their teamsbecome exceptional buyer

(05:30):
facilitators. So here's a keytakeaway for today: Becoming a
buyer facilitator meanstransforming your entire sales
philosophy. It's about creatingconversations, not sales
pitches.
It's about authenticity, notpressure. That's all I have for
now, but there's much more tocome. In upcoming episodes,

(05:51):
we'll go deeper into steps ofbecoming an effective buyer
facilitator. We'll explore salesleadership techniques and talk
through some common challengesthat sales teams face every day.
If this resonated with you,subscribe to the podcast and
visit us attopazsalesconsulting.com for
videos, resources, and tools toelevate your sales practice.

(06:16):
And of course, if you havequestions or need training, we'd
love to hear from you. Thanksfor listening to the Topaz Sales
Consulting Podcast. See you nexttime.