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"To sell in today's environment, you
must become a partner with the customer, seeing their business from their
perspective and helping them develop options."
Consultative Sales Approaches
Here are the top 10 mistakes your
Salespeople may be making and therefore not meeting goals and developing new
customers:
10) Customers and prospects appreciate outgoing personalities.
9) I spend the first part of our time together talking about what we can do for
the prospect.
8) I'm ready with a recommendation as soon as I hear a need.
7) I've got this formula I use. Most of the time it works.
6) It's just about impossible to get through voice mail, secretaries, etc.
5) If the customer says he has a supplier, I move on to another prospect. That
way I don't waste time.
4) Yes, we have a lot of customer turnover--that's the way this business is.
3) My territory has some real problems. It'll never produce much volume.
2) I ask many of questions. I hear that's what the pros do.
1) I work on getting the sale first; the relationship usually follows (I hope).
Of course, your sales people may never admit to these things, but (survey data
suggests) it does represent the way a many sales people operate. Unfortunately,
even a technique that works in one type of sale doesn't work in another--in
fact, it may interfere with the other sale.
AlexanderHancock Associates offers Value Added Selling™ to help
your sales people focus on genuinely hearing customers' concerns, then
translating and refining what is learned into mutually agreed upon needs which
can be addressed using relationship-building techniques. An outline of the
course is available and it can be customized for your business--likely at no
extra charge.
If you want your sales efforts to stand out (the positive way), call us at the
number below.
Value Added Selling™
Definition: selling in which
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sales person becomes a
"consultant" to customer, adding value by helping customer make a
buying decision by developing and exploring options (as opposed to selling
product)
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sales person becomes
customer-focused partner, helping customer convert implied needs into
concrete, stated needs, which can be met by the seller with the mutually
agreed upon "best fit" solution
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product features/benefits are
discussed later rather than sooner in the dialog and only as value-based
answers to customer-documented need
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objections are prevented rather
than overcome by relating value of proposed solution to problem/need in real
ROI or other opportunity terms
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the goal of closing
"quotas" is less important than development of the customer
relationship and redefining the sales process (including the length of the
sales cycle) to one of helping the customer do what he needs rather than
what the sales person wants or needs
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Also, Value Added Selling™
Sales Training at AlexanderHancock Associates provides detailed laboratory work
on:
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Setting sales objective for
each call (telephone or in person) and each phase of the sales process
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How to advance the sale not
just continue the dialog; how to know the difference
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Learning to translate implied
needs into stated needs which can be met with the mutually agreed upon
"best fit" solution
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How to translate stated needs
into value-producing terms and prevent rather than just handle objections
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How to formulate the proper
types of questions for each phase of the sales process
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Preparing the contact (who
likely is not the ultimate decision maker) to answer the questions decision
makers will almost assuredly ask (Not "be sure to tell him...")
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Are you a Partner???
Being seen as a partner in solving customer problems and being able to view
his/her concerns from a business viewpoint is what Value Added Selling™ is
all about. As contrasted to the old "sales quota" approach, it instead
offers the opportunity to generate sales through skillful observations made in
probing interviews with prospects and customers. The result is more than a
sale--it is a loyal customer.
AlexanderHancock Associates recommends sales training be focused on consultative
approaches in which consulting techniques are substituted for traditional
"pushing product" approaches.
Training materials in our sales training classes are highly interactive and
graphic in nature, inviting further use through thoughtful layout and design.
All participants receive a full set of materials to be used as a reference and
review tool in the future.
Videotape Skill Practice is included for all participants to further enhance
their value added sales effort. This would require an additional breakout room
and video equipment.
Program Topics
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Why consultative sales efforts
are welcomed by customers
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How to build partner
relationships with clients rather than pushing products
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How to position your solution
in business terms that will get attention
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How to use questioning and
listening skills to identify and respond to needs
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Using Value Added Selling™
to develop/build relationships
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Using customer profit
objectives and other information gleaned from skillful questioning as a
sales strategy
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How to use product knowledge to
create sales opportunities, solve problems, sell additional
products/services and create customer loyalty
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AHA
yourcoach.net
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