Beyond providing information that helps with the decision process in an objective manner, consultative selling includes the following actions:
- Consult first, build trust second, and sell third.
- Start a relationship by listening to your customers’ needs, identifying their personal values associated with your category, and building rapport as someone who’s like them and understands them.
- Offer suggestions and solutions that meet their goals, not your sales quota.
- Address their fears.
Find ways to identify their greatest fears so you can present your promise, messages, and offers as a solution to overcome these challenges.
- Ask thought‐provoking questions that inspire your prospects to think about their problems and solutions from new angles.
Here are additional tips for consultative selling.
- Gather information about your customers and prospects to identify the following:
- Specific issues and needs per the level they’re at in their jobs and the influences of the current market environment
- What competitors are likely calling on them so you can address their messaging and promises and build your case
- Anticipate the questions your customers and prospects are likely to ask of you, and be prepared to answer with confidence, validation, and facts.
- Ask what criterion drives your customers’ decision for products and partners they choose. Don’t assume that you already know this answer.
- Follow through after the sale to ensure that all expectations were met.
- Do periodic reviews to help identify issues that can be improved and new opportunities.
- Continue to share insights to help them with all aspects of the job.
If you lose a sale to a competitor, call that lead after a few months to see how happy he is with his choice. If he isn’t happy, you just opened the door for a second chance with fewer competitors to beat this time around.