Consultative Selling in B2B - How and When
Consultative Selling helps create the Best Buying Experience, the beginning of the Best Customer Experience. This requires a combination of Behaviorally Correct Skills, Product Usage Knowledge, and Market Knowledge.
Most definitions of consultative selling describe it is a conversation between the sale person and the customer focused on the customers needs. Before talking product or service, the salesperson strives to learn about the customer's needs, and may even help the customer identify and phrase these needs.
Once the needs are clearly defined, a consultative sales person will create a configurable solution based on the products-services they have to offer. Describing the capabilities of the offering focused on the existing customer needs. Helping the customer create a Vision of a Solution, based on value, as to how the various capabilities offered will help them achieve their needs.
The difficulty in becoming proficient at Consultative Selling is it is not enough to ask good questions, listen and focus on needs.
We need to first gain trust and we also need to stay aligned with our buyers shifting concerns as they are making buying decisions and demonstrate behaviorally correct skills though out the buy/sell cycle.
The Vision Group works with clients to align their sales and marketing personnel to be consultative in their approach to prospects and clients. They want their personnel to stay in alignment with buyers.
Our clients tell us the key is to focus with buyers on their buying process and needs. Helping them create a Vision of a Solution, based on value, as to how the capabilities of the products and services offered will help them achieve their compelling needs. Using consultative selling skills throughout the buying cycle.
Helping you understand the WHAT/WHY, yet more importantly, the HOW and WHEN in buy/sell relationships has been the underpinnings of our sales training and education since 1998. In this way we help clients be perceived by their customers in a highly differentiated way.
Aligning your sales process with the buying process leads to the Best Buying Experience. Building trust with customers is the first step in that alignment. It requires us to make a human connection, while focusing on the buyers needs.
The missing link in effective prospecting today, and beginning a Best Buying Experience, is the art of telling stories, woven with how buyers can use your products and services to meet their needs. Using consultative selling skills with the art of telling stories allows us to build an ongoing human connection.
There is certainly more to consultative selling then what is covered in this short write up, and if you have any interest discussing any of these thoughts further, please contact us directly. Or you may want to review the following narrated articles which begin to cover the topics described above.
Effective Prospecting, Chris's Story
Effective Prospecting leads to the Best Buying Experience.
Let me tell you a story about Chris. Chris found that consultative selling was just a numbers game. Each of his sales calls started with the same message: "At ABC Co., we're the world's leading..."
Chris is now a Story Seeker. He is calling on a new buyer and, as expected, the buyer raises the Barrier. This time Chris is prepared...
How Individual B2B Buyers Meet Their Needs
A discussion of what buyers think about when they are trying to meet an internal business need. This consultative approach can be successfully dealt with by good sales personnel who are willing to:
1) Listen to the Buyer.
2) Help an individual understand the reasons/causes that keep them from reaching their business needs.
3) The capabilities they will need to eliminate obstacles preventing them from meeting needs.
4) Assessing the impact on their particular department and the company.
5) Arriving at a Solution.
Shifting Concerns of Individuals Making B2B Buying Decisions
A discussion on the shifting concerns of individuals making Business to Business buying decisions. What is it we can do to help the individual make a good buying decision as they become concerned about:
1) Their needs.
2) The cost of changing their business operations.
3) The solutions they need.
4) The risk of making a buying decision.
Multiple Buyers Making Decisions in a Complex B2B Sales
A discussion of a Business to Business complex sale and how you as a consultative sales person can help multiple buyers through a decision cycle.
This narrated article discusses the initial discovery of a vision portion of the three stages of a complex sale.
Our clients demonstrate a consultative selling method lined up with the buying cycle helps create the best buying experience for their customers and leads to increased sales and more productive sales people..
Examples of How/When
Consultative Based Sales and Marketing
Shorten Sales Cycle
Meet Buying Committee
Transactional Selling
Decision Making is Higher
Differentiate Ourselves
Buyer Evaluation Plans
Value Justification
Handling Buyers Risk
Presentations
Smart Selling in Tough Time Presentation
Aligning Sales Marketing Presentation
Improve Sales Performance
Shorten Sales Cycles
Higher Sales Margins
Aligning Sales Marketing
Ramp-up New employees
Gain Trust Then Business
Rediscover Connecting
Effective Sales Prospecting
Effective Prospecting Workshop
The Missing Link in Sales
(Mike Bosworth's Story)
Mike Bosworth and
Vision Group
Connect, Inspire, and
Influence - on purpose
(recorded webinar)
