Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
Is Consultative Selling obsolete? Not if it will serve both the seller AND the buyer.
Many sales organizations and individual salespeople are looking for a selling system. They know that a good "fit" with a system will make them more productive. The question is, which one? It's too easy to follow the fads and invest in the latest sales approach simply because it's new. We tend to gravitate to new ideas, hoping to find the silver bullet that will make our jobs and our lives easier. That's what motivates self-proclaimed sales gurus to keep writing books and creating training courses around their "revolutionary" new sales approaches. Call it strategic, call it value-based, but in high probability their solution is just a fresh spin on the tried and true consultive approach.
ENDURING EXCELLENCE.
I'm afraid some salespeople discount the value of Consultative Selling because it has been around a few decades. But so have tuxedos, pumps and pencil skirts. So have the precious kitchen recipes that are passed down from generation to generation because they're that good. Classics like these don't go out of date, and neither does a classic selling approach that acknowledges basic human needs and recognizes the value in having buyers and sellers work together to optimally satisfy a genuine need of the buyer. While you're looking for the perfect sales method for your situation, be sure to look beyond the latest sales concoction and consider the classic Consultative Selling.
ORDERLY OUTCOMES.
Consultative Selling is also a classy sales approach, because of the way it prioritizes these outcomes:
1. Satisfying the Buyer's Want.
2. Establishing Relationship Value.
3. Completing the Sales Transaction.
That, by the way, is the prioritization that Consultative Selling advocates.
Some sales approaches put Completing the Sales Transaction first. Approaches that focus on closing techniques fall into this category. A transaction-focused sales approach advises us to Approach, Demonstrate, Propose and Close. Satisfying the Buyer's Want and Establishing Relationship Value are viewed as the buyer's problem.
RELATIONSHIP ROLES.
Relationship Selling models put Establishing Relationship Value at the top. These suggest that if the salesperson develops enough acquaintances who understand what they do for a living, eventually some of them will decide to become a customer. Creating lots of "friends" and building a large social network is a noble goal, but it can take months if not years to see the payoff. Call me a cynic, but I believe most people aren't looking for more friendships to manage, especially friendships with salespeople. We all have a hard enough time now keeping up with old friends from school, our neighbors, and our extended families. Relationship Selling might feel right for salespeople who consider themselves "people persons," but may not be optimally effective for working with real prospects with real needs.
FIRST CLASS.
Consultative Selling is classy because it makes Satisfying the Buyer's Want the top priority. Once the salesperson is clear on what a successful outcome looks like to the buyer, the salesperson helps make that happen, even if it means suggesting a solution that blocks the opportunity to make a sale today. The salesperson becomes an advocate for the buyer. If the consultive salesperson cannot prescribe a good solution for the buyer (although it doesn't have to be the perfect solution or best solution), they will decline the sale. In this way, buyers derive value from continuing the relationship with the salesperson, whether a purchase is made today or not. Sometimes declining a sales opportunity today can result in many more fruitful sales opportunities down the road.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND ADVANTAGES.
One of the responsibilities of consultive salespeople is to never prescribe a solution without first making an accurate diagnosis. Salespeople are responsible for making sure they fully understand the buyer's wants and their current situation before they recommend any solution. Salespeople who use their expertise to take advantage of their customer undermine the efforts of all other ethical salespeople who are working to earn an honest living for themselves.
Consultative Selling has many advantages as well as responsibilities. It allows salespeople to work as a peer of the prospect, not as their servant. It encourages salespeople to operate with a high level of self-esteem and to say "No" to prospects who want to use them as doormats. Consultative salespeople emit a classy quiet confidence that promotes trust.
Consultive salespeople tend to establish relationships that buyers value. The result is the completion of many sales transactions. By focusing on Satisfying the Buyer's Want, the rest becomes automatic; Establishing Relationship Value and Completing the Sales Transaction follow like day follows night.
Before you adopt the latest and greatest "how to sell" approach, investigate the tried and true, classic and classy Consultative Selling. You may find that it's an optimal fit for the nature of your buyers, for the nature of their need, and the nature of your offering.
Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy - To learn more about this author, visit Paul Johnson's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
© 2007 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.
Is Consultative Selling obsolete? Not if it will serve both the seller AND the buyer.
Many sales organizations and individual salespeople are looking for a selling system. They know that a good "fit" with a system will make them more productive. The question is, which one? It's too easy to follow the fads and invest in the latest sales approach simply because it's new. We tend to gravitate to new ideas, hoping to find the silver bullet that will make our jobs and our lives easier. That's what motivates self-proclaimed sales gurus to keep writing books and creating training courses around their "revolutionary" new sales approaches. Call it strategic, call it value-based, but in high probability their solution is just a fresh spin on the tried and true consultive approach.
ENDURING EXCELLENCE.
I'm afraid some salespeople discount the value of Consultative Selling because it has been around a few decades. But so have tuxedos, pumps and pencil skirts. So have the precious kitchen recipes that are passed down from generation to generation because they're that good. Classics like these don't go out of date, and neither does a classic selling approach that acknowledges basic human needs and recognizes the value in having buyers and sellers work together to optimally satisfy a genuine need of the buyer. While you're looking for the perfect sales method for your situation, be sure to look beyond the latest sales concoction and consider the classic Consultative Selling.
ORDERLY OUTCOMES.
Consultative Selling is also a classy sales approach, because of the way it prioritizes these outcomes:
1. Satisfying the Buyer's Want.
2. Establishing Relationship Value.
3. Completing the Sales Transaction.
That, by the way, is the prioritization that Consultative Selling advocates.
Some sales approaches put Completing the Sales Transaction first. Approaches that focus on closing techniques fall into this category. A transaction-focused sales approach advises us to Approach, Demonstrate, Propose and Close. Satisfying the Buyer's Want and Establishing Relationship Value are viewed as the buyer's problem.
RELATIONSHIP ROLES.
Relationship Selling models put Establishing Relationship Value at the top. These suggest that if the salesperson develops enough acquaintances who understand what they do for a living, eventually some of them will decide to become a customer. Creating lots of "friends" and building a large social network is a noble goal, but it can take months if not years to see the payoff. Call me a cynic, but I believe most people aren't looking for more friendships to manage, especially friendships with salespeople. We all have a hard enough time now keeping up with old friends from school, our neighbors, and our extended families. Relationship Selling might feel right for salespeople who consider themselves "people persons," but may not be optimally effective for working with real prospects with real needs.
FIRST CLASS.
Consultative Selling is classy because it makes Satisfying the Buyer's Want the top priority. Once the salesperson is clear on what a successful outcome looks like to the buyer, the salesperson helps make that happen, even if it means suggesting a solution that blocks the opportunity to make a sale today. The salesperson becomes an advocate for the buyer. If the consultive salesperson cannot prescribe a good solution for the buyer (although it doesn't have to be the perfect solution or best solution), they will decline the sale. In this way, buyers derive value from continuing the relationship with the salesperson, whether a purchase is made today or not. Sometimes declining a sales opportunity today can result in many more fruitful sales opportunities down the road.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND ADVANTAGES.
One of the responsibilities of consultive salespeople is to never prescribe a solution without first making an accurate diagnosis. Salespeople are responsible for making sure they fully understand the buyer's wants and their current situation before they recommend any solution. Salespeople who use their expertise to take advantage of their customer undermine the efforts of all other ethical salespeople who are working to earn an honest living for themselves.
Consultative Selling has many advantages as well as responsibilities. It allows salespeople to work as a peer of the prospect, not as their servant. It encourages salespeople to operate with a high level of self-esteem and to say "No" to prospects who want to use them as doormats. Consultative salespeople emit a classy quiet confidence that promotes trust.
Consultive salespeople tend to establish relationships that buyers value. The result is the completion of many sales transactions. By focusing on Satisfying the Buyer's Want, the rest becomes automatic; Establishing Relationship Value and Completing the Sales Transaction follow like day follows night.
Before you adopt the latest and greatest "how to sell" approach, investigate the tried and true, classic and classy Consultative Selling. You may find that it's an optimal fit for the nature of your buyers, for the nature of their need, and the nature of your offering.
Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy - To learn more about this author, visit Paul Johnson's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
| |||
 |
No article feedback found. | ||
|
Leave Your Feedback | ||
|
|||
 Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
| |||
| When you want to truly serve your buyer yet optimize your opportunity to make the sale, Consultative Selling may be the right approach for you. Review this article to decide for yourself if your selling priorities a... |
|||
|
Consultative Selling
| |||
| Consultative selling is a highly evolved and extraordinarily successful approach to selling. In consultative selling, the entire sales process is oriented toward the salesperson, or “consultant”, understanding the n... |
|||
|
Consultative Selling Won't Fill Your Pipeline
| |||
| This Consultative Selling article explains the role of this sales method in pipeline management. |
|||
|
Consultative Selling Fills an Important Gap for Buyers
| |||
| Choosing the optimal selling system is highly dependent on the nature of your buyer. Read this Consultative Selling article to understand the gap that buyers need you to fill.
|
|||
|
Consultative Selling Solves the Puzzle Your Product Can't
| |||
| Often the nature of your offer provides prospects with a puzzle they can't solve. This Consultative Selling article shows how your sales approach can make you a star. |
|||
| |||
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 |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
 Paul Johnson (Visit Paul's Website) Paul Johnson is Trouble Breaker #1 at Shortcuts to Results LLC. Paul enables clients to find and use business shortcuts that generate double and triple digit performance improvement. Clients like ADP, AutoNation, Nortel Networks, and Akzo Nobel enjoy more revenues, more productivity, with more simplicity, and more confidence. Contact Paul at 888-320-7719, and visit www.sho rtcutstoresults.com
|  |
 |
| Business Shortcuts from Paul Johnson, Trouble Breaker #1 - Hey, that doesn't mean I'm looking for a fight. No, as Trouble Breaker™ #1, I'm here to help you get OUT of trouble. I deliver breakthrough results in 4 areas: Creating Curiosity (Marketing), Gaining Commitment (Sales), Managing Change (Leadership), and Achieving Results (Production). Here you'll find articles, tips, and resources to help you break past trouble and make things happen. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
|
||
|
| ||
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 |
 Universal Search Branding The Product Benefit From Analytics Super Productivity SEO Today |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009 | |
 |
The Top 10 ProBlogger Posts
Best Posts for Bloggers | |
| ||
 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
