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The Definition of Consultative Selling
Friday, June 15, 2012, 2:25 PM
[General]
While the inherent ability to persuade propels them above many others in the office, they never really get the job done. The smooth talkers are like robots. As soon as somebody calls, they automatically switch on and give a nicely flowing, intelligently sounding pitch. Their pitch is so down that they cannot vary or have agility when given objections. They rely on average.
The true consultative sales professional knows that their time is valuable and is willing to forego a company that is ready to write a check, but they know they cannot fully help and that the ROI is not worth the work. Too many sales people, mainly due to poor technique and a lack of integrity lick their lips at any potentially inked contract and, thus kill any possible long-term relationship with another client who is more important.
In the business development / sales world, an abundance of individuals toss the all too commonly used phrase "consultative selling" around as if it were a slang word simply referring to "people who can produce." Frequently, you hear sales managers bark phrases such as, "We want a sales representative with a consultative approach," or "Our sales team has a consultative selling motto." Sadly, in a large amount companies, slang is what the term remains both currently and in the foreseeable future. That is, until it is changes.
On the flip side, if the sales representative is making outbound calls, to be effective and really adhere to the rules of consultative selling, that individual is going to have to do hours of research. Consultative selling experts understand and embrace that, more often than a sales person would think, people do not buy on price. Instead, they buy on expertise. The best sales professionals are the ones that implement consultative selling techniques, and consultative selling techniques can only be implemented after hours of company research.
Consultative Selling is About Hunting Marlin Not Fishing Trout
The sales people who truly implement consultative selling don't work against the client. Instead, they collaborate with the client. Phrases such as, "Please, tell me your thoughts on what I'm about to say," leave the conversation open to discussion and, when this happens, initial concerns such as price seemingly go out the window. Consultative selling gets the potential buyer talking. Once they begin talking, the seller can begin problem solving.
Therefore,Cheap Donovan McNabb Jersey, the consultative seller, instead of making complete cold calls to the masses,Cheap Cameron Jordan Jersey, hones in on certain targets, leverages their knowledge and expertise, establishes the right relationships and closes the deals that matter in the long run. No true consultative selling expert goes for the quick sale. They go for the relationship.
This is not consultative selling. It is often considered to be, but is far from it. Throughout the initial conversation with a new client, the consultative sales expert should be asking more questions and speaking less.
Through the proper questions during the initial sales contact phase, the disciplined consultative seller can decipher whether this company or individual will become a partner of sorts and form a mutually beneficial,Cheap LaMarr Woodley Jersey, lucrative relationship or whether will they be a one hit wonder.
Consultative Selling is About Collaboration
At this point, basic knowledge of consultative selling is set, thus allowing us to graduate from our first definition of "opposite of an overly aggressive sales approach." Going forward, let's define consultative selling as the ability to uncover a client's problem(s), then be able to come up with intelligent, effective and creative solutions to help the client and generate revenue for the company. Well, it is quite hard to come up with effective solutions unless you know what the client does. Agree?
The average sales professionals take the quick buck and, after 10 years of not getting to where they want to be, either remain unhappy or adapt a sales approach that is relationship based. At first, the change is somewhat scary to the sales professional, but they become used to the listening, the questions and the scaling of the temptation to close a quick deal that will truly go nowhere. This aspect of consultative selling always intercrosses with integrity.
However, the best salesmen and saleswomen, prior to throwing out quotes or going into their pitch,Cheap JaMarcus Russell Jersey, will ask the right questions to learn about the industry. Without this knowledge, a true consultative sales call and, subsequent sales close cannot be effectively implemented on a frequent basis.
Some people are natural salesmen and saleswomen. It is in my strong opinion that you can only teach some sales and the aforementioned are easiest to mold. However, the biggest hindrance that prevents these "naturals" from becoming great is that they rely on their natural gift of gab. It's almost as if a youth football coach sees a youngster with a great arm, but has to tweak his grip on the ball.
Consultative Selling is About Building Trust
Conversely, it is very hard for the sales professional to do research on every firm as they never know who will call in, but if done "on the fly," the consultative seller will ask the right questions and learn the ins and outs of that particular company. Just like in life,Cheap Owen Spencer Jersey, not everything in sales is perfect, but this is where the inherent sales skills and intelligence give the sales professional enough backup until full clarity is reached.
It was not until the third item was picked up by him in order to put aside to buy that I even looked at a price tag. It was the best extra few hundred dollars I've ever spent. Moreover, because it's hard to try on dress shirts in a department store, upon getting home, not only did he address my other needs, every shirt fit perfectly.
The entire basis of consultative selling revolves around solving clients' problems so they come back to the seller. Hence, the seller becomes the client's expert and reliable source. "We need x again, oh call Bob or Sally, they take care of it." It's that simple. It's that simple if done correctly and worked on.
About a week ago, I was shopping for some winter clothing and had a budget in mind upon walking in the department store. To help me study the buying tendencies from a 3rd person (as 3rd as I can get), every time I buy a product or service, I analyze why I did so. In this case, the sales representative came up to me, actually asked me what I wanted and, because I didn't know, he had some recommendations for me, but always got my input.
When you take a look deeper and attempt to solve the aforementioned slang to definition issue, you will soon find that people who know how to implement and execute a consultative selling technique with proper closing strategies are easier to locate and change the current status of an office. Through the below explanations, examples and descriptions, we can uncover as to what true consultative selling is and look beyond the rudimentary description as the "opposite of an overly aggressive sales approach."
Although, all true leaders accept accountability,Cheap Tramon Williams Jersey, most people quiver at the mere thought of making a wrong move. Therefore, through the aforementioned questions and techniques, the consultative seller builds the trust necessary to close the deal and maintain a mutually beneficial, lucrative relationship.
As a sales person, you can never hit the $200,000+ mark if you don't build trust with your clients. The true consultative seller makes the buyer feel comfortable and understands that nobody wants to be or feel sold. In all actuality, the hardest part for a sales person, upon selling into a big company, is that most of the employees are afraid of being wrong, thus don't want to sign the contract.
Then, once the prospect is done conveying their needs, the consultative sales expert leverages those needs to show off his or her expertise and solves the client's problem nearly all of the time. Robots, as good as they are, are yet to replace human beings and somebody who knows how to actually sell can run laps around them.
Consultative Selling is About Research and More Research
Consultative Selling Is Not The "Sweet Talk"
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