Nobody knows what exactly the next normal will entail, but we do know the following:
The Next Normal will not be the same as what we’ve known in the past in specific ways.
It’s difficult to predict what will happen in the next normal.
Individuals and companies resilient enough to endure the inevitable changes and agile enough to embrace the differences will be the ones who thrive.
Consultative or Solution-based selling differs from more traditional transactional sales opportunities and is more suited to ‘next normal’ circumstances for the following reasons.
Being Customer-Focused When Nothing's Normal
Consultative sales is more about understanding the problem statements of the customers than it is about the vendor’s product line, business model, or quota and commission.
Consultative sales is about asking open-ended questions about current and even anticipated challenges.
The consultative sales professional is fanatically curious about the perspective and challenges of the client or prospect, regardless of whether a current conversation leads to a direct sale in the short term.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees
Consultative sales generally involves research about the prospect/customer and their needs as well as around market trends. This research is generally conducted prior to the meeting.
A consultative sales approach strategically qualifies leads prior to initial conversation, to save all parties time and money.
Navigating Troubled Waters
To best work with clients to navigate uncertain and even troubled circumstances, the consultative sales professional must at times be connected to and versed enough with megatrends in the business, the economy, and the industry trends to provide relevant information to guide exploration and decision-making.
With that said, the consultative sales professional would only provide relevant background information if it benefits the client or prospect, not just because it would increase the sales volume.
Listening deeply to what is said and what is not said, and asking clarifying questions may even help consultative sales professionals to collaborate with clients to brainstorm future scenarios based on risk factors, market trends, or technology development timelines for example.
Connecting for the Long Term
The consultative sales professional will work with the team to ensure a successful delivery of products and services and a deep ongoing relationship.
Because of all of the above, it’s clear that the consultative sales process generally leads to broader and deeper relationships and transactions built on trust.
And therefore, it is clear that the consultative sales model will increase the likelihood of success for professionals providing products and services in the Next Normal.
To better support sales professionals in our network, FountainBlue will be offering a four-module workshop series for sales professionals interested in developing and improving their Consultative Selling skills. We invite your initial questions about our workshop series and consulting services.