CHAMPION STRATEGIES – HARDISON’S TIPS – SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
The Art of Consultative Selling (Pt.1)
How can you enhance your sales team’s performance and guarantee ongoing success?
The digitization of sales is increasing the pressure on salespeople to succeed. More informed buyers, along with economic and political uncertainty and disruptive technologies, have all contributed to falling revenues for the average salesperson.
It has been estimated that 1 million sales roles will be lost due to automation by 2020. So, does this mean the dawn of the digital revolution will signal the death of the sales profession?
In truth, the digital revolution is good news for sales. But this unprecedented change does mean value creation is now critical to success. Sellers who have mastered client-centric skills – the art of consultative selling – will find themselves in more demand than ever.
True best-in-class sales performance comes from a synthesis of skills and behaviors. Sellers who use both can build valued client relationships and execute buyer-focused sales, increasing their win-rate in the process.
Educated buyers
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The internet has enabled buyers to be more educated than ever before. A commonly cited statistic is that 57 per cent of the buying journey is completed before sales are even engaged.
What makes a truly great and successful salesperson is a combination of both the relationship and process at play in their approach. How sellers approach the sales process and science of selling (applying their competencies, skills and experience to execute key activities and verified customer outcomes) is greatly influenced by their capability to build the art of selling (their characteristics, behaviors, integrity and, most importantly, their intent).
The customer’s experience of a salesperson driven by personal gain will be extremely different to their experience of a salesperson driven by fostering mutual gain. The professional focused on mutual gain will reach a better long-term outcome for both by fostering a position of trust.
Creating a growth environment
A sales professional’s core values, intent and fundamental personal drivers are factors in their approach – but company culture, how sellers are rewarded and recognized and the organization’s leadership style also greatly influence the behavior of the sales team.
Sales leaders and managers can even have a negative effect on the sales organization. Driving salespeople to succeed using results-based rewards can lead to a short-term, deal-led view, diminishing the potential returns that could be gained from a more customer-centric approach.
The old adage – what gets rewarded gets done – can lead to short-term success while creating long-term problems. Success follows when companies encourage salespeople to:
Build trust
Apply both the art of relationship-building and the science of selling
Execute a flawless buyer-focused sales process
Find mutually beneficial solutions that drive specific business metrics and clearly documented outcomes
Make It A Champion Day!
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