So What's the difference?
It boils down to a question of who is driving the process – the seller or the buyer.
Why is it important to understand the difference? Well, at its most basic, when you are proactively selling, whatever sales approach you use, you control the whole selling process. When you are ‘bought from’, the customer controls the process. In general, your chances of winning the sale increase dramatically when you drive the process and, typically, your margins will be greater. So, with an increased chance of winning and higher margins, why doesn’t everyone sell ‘proactively’?