The Buyer
Revolution
We asked over 1,000 lubricant buyers how they actually buy. The answers, across five data sets and more than 25,000 data points, are the clearest picture the industry has of the modern buyer, and what it now takes to win them.
buyers surveyed
data points
research data sets
Three years of listening to lubricant buyers
The Buyer Revolution is not a one-off survey. It is a rolling research programme that has tracked how buyers think, and how fast they are changing, since 2023.
The wake-up call
We showed how buyer behaviour had fundamentally changed, and warned that most of the buying decision is made before a seller is ever involved. Sell how your buyer wants to buy, not how you want to sell.
The data arrives
The first industry-specific Buyer Revolution results. Five themes emerged: self-education, speed of response, personal connection, time pressure, and the evolving role of the account manager.
The blueprint
Three years of insight and 25,000+ data points, distilled into a buyer-validated blueprint for the behaviours that future-proof a lubricants sales team.
The modern lubricant buyer, in four numbers
research online before they contact a supplier
the expected response time when a buyer needs help
say a personal connection outweighs the brand
are let down by an unprepared account manager
Five data sets. Five things buyers want you to know.
Each set answers one question about how buyers now buy. Explore the findings, the interpretation and what it means for your team.
Led by two people who sell in this industry
Rob Taylor
A commercial voice for the industry, speaking at events with our friends at ILMA, ICIS and UKLA, and driving the research and the modern, buyer-led approach behind it.
Steve Knapp
A commercial voice for the industry, speaking at events with our friends at ILMA, ICIS and UKLA, and author of Selling Lubricants Smarter, translating the data into practical sales behaviour.
Three ways to put the Buyer Revolution to work
The Buyer Revolution Workshop
A hands-on, in-person session that turns the research into a practical, buyer-led approach for your team.
Explore the workshopThe Buyer Revolution programme
The full research and blueprint as an online, on-demand programme you can work through at your own pace.
Start self-study
Selling Lubricants Smarter
Steve Knapp's book on selling in a changed market, the story and the method in one place.
Get the bookBring the Buyer Revolution to your team
Tell us about your team and your market, and we'll help you sell the way lubricant buyers now buy.
The One Thing the Base Oils & Lubricants Supply Chain Need to Rethink About Customer Engagement
Lubricant Sales Training for Individuals and “Small Guys”
Five Buyer Shifts That Will Define Lubricant Selling in 2026
Why I Wrote Selling Lubricants Smarter
Customer Centricity in Lubricants: The uncomfortable truth.
Standing Out or Just Blending In? Why Lubricant Messaging Often Misses the Mark
Lubricant Sales 2030
Lubricant Sales 2030: what the modern buyer wants next
The data behind where lubricant buying is heading, and what it means for how you sell. Straight to your inbox, free.
- How buyer behaviour is shifting by 2030
- The gaps between what buyers expect and what they get
- Practical moves to stay ahead of the change
