Share this article
Beyond the Blend Live: The Validation Economy, Skills Gaps, and the Changing Lubricants Buyer
There’s something different when conversations happen in the same room.
This live episode of Beyond the Blend, hosted by Rob Taylor and Steve Knapp of Plan Grow Do, brings together Jade Thompson (SKF), Jamie Shaw (OMS Lubritek), and Nick Forster (CC Jensen) for a discussion that moves well beyond theory.
Recorded before Jade’s UK Lubricants Social in Sheffield, it captures what is actually happening across the lubricant supply chain right now.
From changing buyer behaviour to the realities of skills gaps, from pre-qualified customers to the role of AI, this is a grounded, honest look at an industry in transition. And importantly, it is a reminder that while the tools and channels are evolving, the responsibility on people has never been higher.
The buyer is changing, and they are doing more before you arrive
One of the clearest threads throughout the discussion is that buyers are no longer starting from zero.
They are researching. They are comparing. They are forming opinions before a supplier is ever invited in.
As Jamie Shaw puts it, “there has definitely been a shift… people are pre-qualifying behind the scenes.”
That shift is showing up in very practical ways. Enquiries are coming in via LinkedIn. Customers reference content they have already seen. In some cases, they are arriving with a clear idea of the solution they think they need.
Jade Thompson highlights just how confident that can look in reality: “They’ll contact me and say, Jade, we need this solution. This is what I’ve got. This is what I need.”
But that confidence does not always equal correctness. And that is where the challenge begins.
From persuasion to validation
This is not just a shift in behaviour. It is a shift in the role of the seller.
Steve Knapp introduces a powerful idea during the conversation. The industry is moving into what he describes as a validation economy.
The job is no longer to persuade from scratch. It is to assess what the buyer already
believes, and then validate, challenge, or refine it.
That is not a subtle change. It completely alters the dynamic of the conversation.
Jade’s experience brings this to life. Even when customers are confident, she often has to push back: “I was had to be quite forceful and said, just please let me come and triple check, because I don’t want to give you this proposal on what you’ve done.”
Validation is not about agreeing. It is about protecting the outcome. And that requires
a different level of confidence, credibility, and technical understanding from the supplier.
Pre-qualification is helpful, but it is not enough
There is no doubt that pre-qualification can improve efficiency.
Buyers arrive faster. Conversations can move quicker. There is less time spent explaining the basics.
But the panel are clear that it also creates risk.
Nick Forster describes the challenge well: “You go back and ask, well, I need some more information before I can even give you a proposal. And it’s like, this is what we’ve been given.”
The issue is not that buyers are researching. It is that they are often researching without full context.
That leads to partial understanding, incomplete specifications, and in some cases, the wrong solution being locked in too early.
This is where application knowledge becomes critical.
Technical expertise matters more than ever
If there is one misconception this conversation challenges, it is the idea that technical expertise is becoming less important.
In reality, the opposite is true.
As buyers self-educate, the need for deeper, real-world understanding increases. Not just product knowledge, but how that product behaves in context.
Jade explains this clearly when discussing filtration and system conditions: “I can sell you a box, but it’s probably not going to work.” The difference is not what is sold. It is how well it fits the reality of the system.
That is why application knowledge, condition monitoring, and experience are becoming the true differentiators. Not brochures. Not specifications. Real understanding.
Education is no longer optional
A consistent theme throughout the discussion is that education is now part of the commercial role.
It is not a marketing add-on. It is a core responsibility.
Jamie Shaw highlights how this plays out in practice through case studies and visible
proof: “They say we see the scene is believing.”
In many cases, customers do not even realise they have a problem. Education is what helps them see it.
From LinkedIn content to on-site training, from quick lubrication reviews to simplified reports, the role of the supplier is shifting towards helping the buyer understand their own environment better.
And when that is done well, trust follows.
Trust is still built in the real world
Despite the growth of digital channels, the panel are clear on one thing. Face-to-face still matters.
But the timing has changed.
It is no longer the starting point. It is something that is earned.
Nick Forster describes the impact of showing up and going beyond the expected: “When they see things like that, extra mile… they have confidence that they can call you.”
Jade goes further, challenging the idea that people can build credibility without leaving the office: “Putting a face to a name is super, super important… hands-on experience is gained
on site where the problems are.”
Trust is still human. It is still built through effort, presence, and experience. But it is now supported, and sometimes accelerated, by digital visibility.
The skills gap is not coming, it is already here
The conversation takes a more serious turn when discussing the industry skills gap.
This is not theoretical. It is being felt day to day.
There are fewer engineers on site. Less time. Less hands-on experience. And a growing gap between those with deep knowledge and those coming into the industry.
Jamie Shaw puts it plainly: “The skills gap is… really worrying.”
Jade adds another layer, pointing to both investment and changing technology: “New machinery and new plants don’t require that anymore… and then when a problem does occur, no one knows how to fix it.” The concern is not just about numbers. It is about capability.
And that has a direct impact on how buyers engage, how problems are defined, and how solutions are evaluated.
AI will help, but it will not replace the expert
AI is naturally part of the conversation, but the tone is measured.
There is clear value in speed, access to information, and automation of repetitive
tasks.
Jade describes the benefit simply: “It will just spit everything from my SharePoint back at me. So it saves me so much time.”
But the panel are equally clear on the limitations. AI can process data. It can flag issues. But it cannot fully interpret context, nuance, or application in the way an experienced professional can.
As Jade highlights when discussing oil analysis trends: “It’s very scary… it’s never going to have the application knowledge.”
The risk is not AI itself. It is over-reliance without understanding.
Used well, it enhances the role. Used poorly, it exposes gaps.
The real shift is responsibility
If there is a single thread that ties this conversation together, it is responsibility.
The responsibility to educate.
The responsibility to validate.
The responsibility to build trust properly.
And the responsibility to invest in people and skills.
Steve Knapp captures this well towards the end of the discussion: “It isn’t just about leading commercial results. It’s about educating people… really investing in the future of the segment and the sector.”
That is the shift.
The tools are changing. The buyers are changing. The channels are changing.
But the biggest change is what is now expected of the person at the centre of it all.
Final thoughts
This Beyond the Blend Live episode is not a conversation about theory. It is a reflection of what is already happening.
Buyers are more informed, but not always more accurate.
Access is harder, but trust is still earned the same way.
Technology is advancing, but experience still matters.
And perhaps most importantly, the role of the commercial and technical professional is becoming more important, not less.
See more: https://plangrowdo.com/beyond-the-blend-podcast/
If the industry is going to adapt, it will not be through tools alone. It will be through people stepping into that responsibility and raising the standard of how they show up.
Enjoyed this?
Follow Beyond the Blend for more conversations like this, or listen to the full episode to hear the discussion in its raw, unfiltered form.
