In the cutthroat world of sales, having an edge is crucial. After all, anyone can dole out an attractive price tag. So, how can you stand out? One way is through consultative selling—a method that requires the salesperson to connect with potential clients on a deeper level by identifying and fulfilling their needs.
To learn more, Print+Promo spoke to Paul Kiewiet, MAS+, chief storytelling officer for Brandkiwi, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Linda Bishop, president of Thought Transformation, Atlanta. Here are five ways to build solid business relationships with clients, and move toward better sales.
1. Know the technique
In order for salespeople to perfect the art of consultative selling, they first need to have a firm grasp of how it works.
For Kiewiet, problem-solving is at the core of the process. "Consultative selling is an approach to selling where the salesperson focuses on getting to know the client's company and its challenges and problems, and then creates and recommends solutions specifically to solve their problem," he explained.
Bishop encouraged salespeople to dig deeper and identify problem areas that others may not consider. "Some needs are obvious, some are not," she said. "When needs are not obvious, better selling skills are required in order to help the client understand the implications of their current situation, and why improvement benefits them. These deeper conversations take consultative selling skills."
2. Set goals
Bishop warned that one of the biggest mistakes a salesperson can make is reaching out to prospects without a clear goal. "They don't really know what they want to achieve," she said. "They don't have a plan to achieve it. And they don't stay focused on getting a follow-up visit, which is usually required unless you are lucky enough to be selling a product that sells with only one meeting."
Kiewiet suggested researching prospects beforehand. "When I could bring up what I was thinking about and had some ideas on how to break through some of the industry issues facing the client, the door would magically open," he said. "You can accomplish that by staying true to the objective of understanding the client's biggest challenges and being committed to helping them solve them."
When you know the ins and outs of your potential clients, as well as what they want to accomplish, you can feel confident in a meeting setting. Now you and the client can begin to work together to achieve these goals, and the customer will feel comfortable knowing that they are in good hands.
3. Ask the right questions
Asking the appropriate questions not only helps you identify the needs of the client, but allows you to provide him or her with more solutions. Find out how clients go to market, who they work with (e.g., distributors or dealers), and what makes them unique.
"Ask about their unique and distinctive characteristics that set them apart from their competitors," Kiewiet said. "Find out who they perceive to be their competitors and what their market position is in relation to them." He added that you should know what their biggest challenges are currently, and what their idea of success looks like. Understanding their specific successes and failures allows you to steer the sale in the direction of the client's success.
Bishop noted that during this stage of the sale, the salesperson should collect as much information as possible. She advised salespeople to ask at least five questions before you start actually selling. For example, what do they see as their end goal? What steps have they already taken to get there? These types of questions can give you insight into how you can help them. That way, she said, salespeople can avoid jumping into the sale too soon without having a clear picture of what the client wants.
"It's one word: understanding," she explained. "If you fully understand the situation, you may be able to help the client solve their problem. If you don't understand, you will propose solutions that either don't fit, cost too much, have already been tried, or may not work from the client's perspective."
4. Listen up
To avoid losing a sale due to lack of information or a misunderstanding of the goal, salespeople need to become comprehensive listeners.
"You have to listen—really listen—and listen for understanding, not just some springboard you can use to start talking about what you want to sell," Bishop advised. "When you're doing consultative selling, don't interrupt people when they're talking."
Kiewiet agreed, and cautioned salespeople against focusing on their own agendas. Instead, they should be curious, concerned and committed to providing exactly what the client wants out of the deal. "One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is to be focused on selling a product and talking about the product rather than what the product can do to solve the customer's problem," he said. "When we get desperate to make a sale, we focus on ourselves rather than on the customer, and when they perceive it, it results in the beginning of the breakdown of trust. Without trust there is no long-term relationship."
5. Work as a team
Another key component of consultative selling is to be a solutions provider. Your competitors may offer cheaper prices, but do they provide in-depth service? Building a business relationship on trust and cooperation can be the deciding factor in any sale. If you can give clients something they may not know they wanted, or a solution to a problem that they may not have recognized on their own, that is where the value lies. Kiewiet calls this "need creation" business.
"When you are a successful salesperson, you bring an extra value to the equation," he said. "When you are selling solutions rather than stuff, you have removed yourself from the commodity space. Because your suggestions and solutions save money or make money for the client, they have no desire to cut back on what you have to offer."
Kiewiet offered some final advice. "You need to choose where you want to be and what business you want to be in," he said. "If you are in it for the client, the client will be in it for you."
Brendan Menapace is the content director for Promo+Promo Marketing.