A Consultative Approach
A Consultative Approach
There are a number of positive benefits gained by using this approach that includes:
• Improved sales results because the whole sales process becomes easier
• Less objections because your proposals are aligned to their requirements that they have already agreed to
• Better relationships because the prospect feels that you have a good understanding of what they want
• Easier negotiations because you have agreed their requirements with them that you can refer back to at a later date
• Price becomes less of an issue because you have identified all their requirements not just the price one. The more requirements they have helps you to build a case for why they should chose you
• Prospects feel listened to because a consultative approach has more contribution and input from the prospect
• More leverage because the offer is more compelling to the individual as it has been tailored to what they said they wanted
During each of the 4 steps of a consultative approach, there are a number of areas of competence that sales people should be excellent at demonstrating:
1. Find out the prospect’s requirements
• Good questioning skills
• Ability to probe for problems/the prospect’s pain
• Rapport to ensure that the prospect feels comfortable answering the questions
• Active listening skills
2. Agree the prospect’s requirements
• Ability to summarise requirements in the prospect’s own words
• Asking checking questions to flush out any other requirements that have not been mentioned
• Maintaining good levels of rapport
3. Present solutions tailored to the prospect’s agreed requirements
• Taking each requirement in turn and linking to a relevant feature of your product/service and highlighting the benefits gained from that feature
• Using the prospect’s own words
• Looking for non-verbal signs of agreement and if not seen, asking checking questions such as “How does that sound?”
• Using the sensory communication type that the prospect has shown a preference for using. For example if the prospect is very visual, then using visual aids will help them to better understand your proposition
4. Agree the solutions
• Summarising your proposed solutions
• Maintaining rapport
• Being vigilant to buying signals
• Asking checking questions to flush out any hidden objections
A Consultative Approach - To learn more about this author, visit Nikki Owen's Website.
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Every prospect and customer is unique. They have their needs, their own set of problems and their own motives for choosing a particular supplier. That’s why if they receive a ‘bulk standard’ pitch, they will feel less compelled to properly evaluate it. A consultative approach seeks to fully appreciate each prospects needs and gain agreement to those needs before presenting products/services in a way that demonstrates how their needs can be met.
There are a number of positive benefits gained by using this approach that includes:
• Improved sales results because the whole sales process becomes easier
• Less objections because your proposals are aligned to their requirements that they have already agreed to
• Better relationships because the prospect feels that you have a good understanding of what they want
• Easier negotiations because you have agreed their requirements with them that you can refer back to at a later date
• Price becomes less of an issue because you have identified all their requirements not just the price one. The more requirements they have helps you to build a case for why they should chose you
• Prospects feel listened to because a consultative approach has more contribution and input from the prospect
• More leverage because the offer is more compelling to the individual as it has been tailored to what they said they wanted
During each of the 4 steps of a consultative approach, there are a number of areas of competence that sales people should be excellent at demonstrating:
1. Find out the prospect’s requirements
• Good questioning skills
• Ability to probe for problems/the prospect’s pain
• Rapport to ensure that the prospect feels comfortable answering the questions
• Active listening skills
2. Agree the prospect’s requirements
• Ability to summarise requirements in the prospect’s own words
• Asking checking questions to flush out any other requirements that have not been mentioned
• Maintaining good levels of rapport
3. Present solutions tailored to the prospect’s agreed requirements
• Taking each requirement in turn and linking to a relevant feature of your product/service and highlighting the benefits gained from that feature
• Using the prospect’s own words
• Looking for non-verbal signs of agreement and if not seen, asking checking questions such as “How does that sound?”
• Using the sensory communication type that the prospect has shown a preference for using. For example if the prospect is very visual, then using visual aids will help them to better understand your proposition
4. Agree the solutions
• Summarising your proposed solutions
• Maintaining rapport
• Being vigilant to buying signals
• Asking checking questions to flush out any hidden objections
A Consultative Approach - To learn more about this author, visit Nikki Owen's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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