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A Consultative Approach

Written by: Nikki Owen

Article Overview: If a sales person pitches a prospect too early in the sales process and has not taken the time to fully appreciate that prospect’s requirements, they are likely to encounter much more resistance in comparison to a sales person who has first sought to identify and agree the prospect’s requirements prior to presenting their proposals. In the current competitive climate where the role of sales people is becoming even more demanding, organisations that adopt a consultative approach are more successful.

A Consultative Approach

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

Related Articles
  Consultative Selling
  The Difference Between Consultative Selling and Consultants
  Consultative Selling Fills an Important Gap for Buyers
  How Does Someone Actually Do Consultative Selling?
  Stepping Beyond Consultative Sales

Article Tags: 4 steps, active listening skills, better relationships, competence, consultative approach, good understanding, leverage, motives, negotiations, objections, present solutions, proposals, prospects, questioning skills, standard pitch



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