Consultative selling is a highly evolved and strikingly successful approach to selling, but it has unique job needs, ones not necessarily required in all selling circumstances.
In consultative selling, the entire sales process is oriented toward the salesperson or ‘consultant’ understanding the character of, and aiding his possible client in the solving of the client’s product-related Problems. As example, this would apply to sales in the PC industry for software, channel partners, and service products on big installations, as well as to businesses like promoting companies that need to appreciate their clients business absolutely re products, placement, share of the market and the like.
While just about all colleges of selling require that the salesperson, to a certain level, get the prospect into good, trusting, open communication ; in consultative selling it is of even greater significance that the salesperson have glorious ‘opening’ abilities.
The job skills for consultative selling needs an individual who totally understands, or can learn, the relationship building process. Listening conscientiously is so important. It’s also necessary to make sure that one recollects what the client said exactly and to that end, the salesperson should take as many notes as mandatory, with the tenet of thinking ahead to what’s going to be in the final presentation to this client later.
Any sales training worth its salt requires that the salesperson discovers the prospect’s major desires and wants before proceeding into the actual sales presentation ; in the case of consultative selling, it is totally necessary that the prospect be thoroughly ‘qualified’ before the sales representative attempts to enter the show. Qualifying a potential client is at the heart of it all, since if you do not know what the client desires and wants, you will be wasting their time in any display. In consultative selling, the qualifying step, so that the salesperson knows the right information about the possible client is totally necessary.
Unlike conventional selling, in which a salesperson will often present his products in a pretty similar demeanour, one prospect to the next ; in consultative selling the sales consultant is required to carefully take and research the data he has gathered from his prospect, and from that info, make a unique display, customized particularly for that particular prospect’s desires and wants. This part of a salespersons requirements can, and regularly should be supported by other staff, for example market researchers, accountants, underwriters or analysts.
but , irrespective of how many support staff are behind him or her, the salesperson involved in consultative selling, has to have awfully strong talents which are not ordinarily needed in plenty of other schools of selling.
When looking for this type of worker salesperson, or in making an attempt to become this kind of sales specialist, one has to be responsible for all of these other job requirements that become part of the selling process, too.
A well rounded consultative salesperson mixes the analysis, research, and customization of the data which matches the client’s wants, along with the original, full communication process, to establish wants and especially, the prospect’s wishes. This type of salesperson has the facility to adjust to changing conditions and requests. Therefore , it requires a particularly detailed evaluation of the situation and the facility to bring the diverse info together for a very robust display to occur.
However, once this is done by the salesperson, and the end result of the show clearly addresses the prospect’s, or possible customer company’s desires ; it will demonstrate that the salesperson has actively listened ; has evaluated the prospect’s situation ; and then has given an excellent and totally relevant answer to those wishes. This will make the sale a ‘done’ at that point, needing no further steps.
Consultative sales is about becoming an ‘expert’ in what the possible client desires. This is a singular ability, but can be easily learned. Knowing what the potential client does not want ( or need ) is as important as knowing what they do want. Once a sales expert has that info and knows the customer’s expectations totally, the salesperson can ask suitable questions that raise the profile in the client’s mind. With this information the salesperson also knows which of his products will essentially work properly for the client, making the right suggestions, and thus, credibility is established.
This area of sales training is highly over look in the “today method” of sales training. Being educated with this type of sales training requires processes and the drilling of those processes, on a regular bases until the sales person has the techniques as part of their everyday sales call.
The book, How to SELL – Clear and Simple is the classical source for the effective application of the highly workable tools of consultative selling. View it at prosales101.com.