In today’s competition for executive audiences, being just “good enough” to get in the door is not “good enough” to keep senior level attention, much less earn the sale. You need to be able to aim and hit the bull’s-eye over and over if you want to succeed at consultative selling to high-level customers.
At its core, Consultative Selling Training is all about learning how to ask the right questions that define what the client truly needs, show your credibility and add value. The better you are, the more your target client will craft the exact solution with you to meet their needs in a way that makes sense. The proven sales approach has been around for decades and is sound and very effective with most buyers. But when you need to work with a client at the C-level, the approach needs to change. Here is how:
- You cannot waste their time asking multiple questions. You need to have the answers to many questions from other sources. This means you need to spend time researching and preparing for your meeting ahead of time. Use every resource at your disposal to learn as much as you can about the industry, the market, the competition and the specific issues facing your specific client. You need to have a real understanding of your customer’s business before you face them.
- You need to provide value.Arriving prepared is a given. But to earn your customer’s respect, you need to bring subject matter expertise and meaningful insight to the table. Executives generally appreciate learning something about their business that they had not known before. Read up so that you are aware of current and future trends that might affect their business. Is there a new technology that could boost (or even harm) their prospects? Is there a business partnership that could bring real value to both players? Is there an emerging market they have not yet explored? Is there something that your other clients are doing that may be valuable? Your challenge is educate and engage.
- Approach the session as if you had to pay for the privilege.Though this sounds a bit over the top, there actually are firms that charge salespeople for the privilege of addressing their executives. They feel that having time with their senior leaders is worth paying for the time. Certainly, you would invest a good deal more effort in researching, planning, and role playing your meeting if you actually did have to invest real money for the opportunity.
Don’t be among the 33% of salespeople who squander their time with executives. Be prepared and bring value.
Learn more by going to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training
