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“You Do Nothing for the Small Guys” - Really?
Not long ago, someone said to me:
“All you do is fine, but you do nothing for the small guys or individuals.”
If I’m honest, my first reaction was, jog on.
My second thought was that this person was a sandwich short of a picnic.
But my third – and more useful – reaction was to pause and ask:
- Is there any truth in that?
- And if not, what’s really going on when people feel this way?
Because buried inside that comment is a mindset I see a lot in B2B lubricant sales:
“I want things to change, but I don’t want to change me.”
This article is my response for the individual lubricant salesperson, the small distributor, and the owner-manager who wants to get better but isn’t always sure how.
Who We’re Paid to Work With (And Why)
Let’s start with the obvious.
Our ideal paying client is typically:
- A larger lubricant, energy or industrial organisation
- With a defined sales and commercial team
- Supported by marketing, technical and operations
- With a clear performance problem to solve
- And a budget to actually drive change
That’s where we do our best work:
- Aligning sales, marketing and leadership to how buyers really buy
- Embedding frameworks like Plan – Grow – Do, SPANCOP and WOPPA
- Using The Buyer Revolution data to reshape sales behaviour at scale
So, if someone says:
“You mainly work with bigger organisations.”
They’re absolutely right. That’s the commercial model that keeps the lights on.
But that’s very different to saying:
“You do nothing for the small guys or individuals.”
And that’s where we need to call it out.
What We Already Do for Individuals and “Small Guys”
If you’re a front-line lubricant salesperson, a one-person consultancy or a smaller distributor, here’s what’s already available to you – right now – to support your development.
Free and Low-Cost Learning Built for Lubricant Sellers
- LinkedIn content
Regular posts built around real lubricant buyer data from The Buyer Revolution, not generic “hustle” advice. - YouTube channel
Short, practical videos on B2B sales, buyer behaviour and modern lubricant selling that you can pause, replay and apply. - Beyond the Blend podcast
Real conversations with people across the lubricants supply chain – from MDs to technical leads – exploring careers, challenges and what it actually takes to succeed. - Books written from the sector
Titles like Funnel Vision – Selling Made Easy, Modern Sales Leadership and Selling Lubricants Smarter are priced so an individual seller can buy them, underline them and work through them at their own pace. - Articles, newsletters and resources
Deep dives into topics like sales excellence, buyer expectations, sales process and the future lubricant salesperson.
Structured Online Training: The Buyer Revolution Course
For those who want more structure than social media and podcasts, there’s:
The Buyer Revolution Online Training
- Built specifically around our lubricant buyer research
- Designed so one salesperson, one distributor or one manager can work through it in their own time
- Packed with practical tools, prompts and reflection points that translate directly into better sales conversations
No travel. No need to get sign-off for a three-day course. Just you, your laptop and a decision to invest in yourself.
So, What’s the Real Issue? It’s Rarely a Lack of Content
Here’s the uncomfortable bit.
Even when relevant, practical, sector-specific content is available, most people still:
- Don’t stop.
- Don’t look around.
- Don’t invest time in their own development.
They scroll, like, maybe comment “Great post” – and then go straight back to the same habits that buyers keep telling us don’t work.
Yet when we ask buyers what they need from the future lubricant salesperson, the bar is rising:
- Better application and industry knowledge
- Better questions and discovery skills
- Better follow-up and communication
- Better understanding of how they buy, not just how we like to sell
Against that backdrop, it’s staggering how few people carve out even 30 minutes a week for self-development.
And that leads to some familiar objections.
Common Objections from Individual Sellers (And Why They Don’t Hold)
“I don’t have time.”
You do – you’re just choosing to spend it somewhere else.
If you can:
- Scroll social media
- Watch an episode of a series
- Talk about how tough the market is
…you can also watch a 10-minute video, read a short article or complete one module of an online course.
Time is real. But “no time” is often code for “no priority”.
“I know all this already.”
Maybe. But two questions:
- Are you doing it consistently?
- Would your buyers agree?
Knowing about good sales practice and consistently executing buyer-aligned behaviour are two very different things.
Knowledge without behaviour change is just trivia.
“It’s not relevant to my business.”
Our whole body of work, from The Buyer Revolution to Selling Lubricants Smarter, is rooted in lubricants, energy and industrial B2B sales.
- I’ve spent around 30 years in and around lubricants.
- From carrying the bag, to leading teams, to consulting and training, to listening to buyers at scale.
If you’re in lubricants and you truly believe none of this is relevant, then either:
- We’ve done a very poor job of explaining it (always possible), or
- You’ve already decided not to see the relevance.
Maybe It’s Not “Us vs Small Guys” - It’s Fit and Ownership
Let’s be generous for a moment and assume the original comment came from a genuine place of frustration.
What they might really have meant was:
“What you’re doing doesn’t feel right for me.”
And that’s fine.
Some people want:
- A silver bullet
- Guaranteed results without any discomfort
- Transformation at zero cost and zero effort
That’s not who we’re building for.
We’re building for the curious, ambitious lubricant salesperson or leader who says:
- “I’m willing to take responsibility for my development.”
- “I want to understand how buyer behaviour is changing.”
- “I’m prepared to use the tools, not just collect them.”
For that person – whether they work for a global brand or a two-person distributor – there is already a huge amount of support on the table.
So, Do We Help the “Small Guys”?
Here’s my reframed response to the original feedback:
You’re right – we don’t help people like you…
…if “people like you” means:
- Waiting for a silver bullet
- Wanting change without changing yourself
- Expecting transformation in lubricants sales without investing any time, energy or money
But if you are:
- An individual seller who wants to build a modern, buyer-aligned sales approach
- A smaller lubricant business that wants to professionalise its commercial activity
- A manager who wants their team to reflect what buyers are really asking for
Then everything we create, from free posts to paid courses, is for you.
Your Next Step (If You’re Serious)
If this has resonated, here’s what I’d suggest:
- Pick one free channel and commit to it for 30 days
- Follow along on LinkedIn
- Watch one YouTube video a week
- Listen to a few episodes of Beyond the Blend
- Download or buy one thing and actually use it
- A book
- An article or guide
- A checklist or framework
- If you want structure, join The Buyer Revolution online training
Build your own development plan based on what lubricant buyers are telling us – not what the loudest salesperson in the room says.
Because the real question isn’t:
“Why don’t you do more for the small guys?”
The better question is:
“Am I actually using what’s already in front of me?”
The support is there.
The insight is there.
The tools are there.
What you do with them is, ultimately, up to you.
Ready to Sell Lubricants Smarter?
Be among the first to get my new book, Selling Lubricants Smarter – written for real-world lubricant sellers, distributors and managers who want practical, buyer-led sales skills.
👉 Join the waitlist today and I’ll let you know the moment it’s live:
