Consultative Selling Training Best Practices

Accelerating Growth Through Targeting Your Ideal Clients

2011-11-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

Customers who “fit” better than others consistently produce higher revenue, profits, and satisfaction. This is the consequence of shorter sales cycles, less problems, more rewarding relationships, better results, and more referrals.

While consultative selling training can definitely improve revenue and close-rates, make sure that you define your target client before investing in consultative selling training that may be pointed in the wrong direction.

A recent study by Hinge Marketing found that High Growth firms were almost three times as likely to be highly specific and detailed about identifying and working with ideal target clients.
To get started create an ideal target client profile that lists the specific attributes of your perfect client. Your ideal client doesn’t just buy your stuff; they passionately buy and use what you have to offer. They do not just need what you offer; they must have what you offer. They are not merely satisfied with what you offer; they are thrilled with what you offer. These attributes create repeat business, referrals, and testimonials to help build your business.

For Business-to-Business, the profile should consider Industry, Geography, Size, Title/Role/Function, Type of Person, and Buying Triggers.

For Business-to-Consumer, also consider attributes such as their Profession, Where They Live, Income Level, Marital Status, Number of Children, Age, Gender, Employment Status, Ethnicity, Education Level, Religious Beliefs, Health, Decision-Making Style, Sense of Humor, etc.

For example, our ideal clients are typically mid-market business leaders who believe that investing in people is vital to their success. The majority come from growing high-tech, life-sciences, and service companies that lack the internal resources or expertise to get the job done. They want more than what traditional sales training and consulting approaches can deliver. They desire access to Fortune 1000 level knowledge, resources and capabilities without the hefty price tags or attitude.

Accelerating Growth Through Differentiation

2011-10-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Does your consultative selling training help your sales force to differentiate you from your competitors?

A recent study by Hinge Marketing found what our clients have been telling us for years - high growth firms are almost three times more likely to have strong differentiators in the eyes of their customers.

In addition to having a clear sales process, strong consultative selling skills, and consistent sales coaching, make sure that your sales force knows what makes you better (from your customers’ perspective) than your competition by answering the following questions:

Why specifically is your offering better than other alternatives?
Why do your customers want and need what you offer?
What do you have to ensure confidence that your claim is true (i.e. client case studies, research, testimonials, and stories showing important benefits and results)?

Be as specific, simple, and clear as possible about what indisputably sets you apart from your competition. Make sure that the answers are from your customers’ perspective. Confirm that your sales force truly agrees. Our research shows that sales conviction improves consultative selling by more than 11%. Companies typically differentiate themselves in the areas of “better, faster, or cheaper.” How do you differentiate your business?

Accelerating Growth by Specializing Your Offerings

2011-10-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

While many sales leaders and professionals do not want to leave “money on the table” and feel compelled to offering “everything” to “everyone,” a recent study by Hinge Marketing confirms that narrowing the focus of your service offering improves, rather than hinders, growth.
In fact, the study found that High Growth firms were almost three times as likely to be highly specific and detailed about identifying and working with ideal target clients.

Regardless of world class consultative selling training skills, if you offer too many options that are not differentiated from your competition, your customers, sales force, and revenue will struggle.

Do not confuse your customers. Focus your service offering on what your clients value most and where you know you will win. Once you know who you want to talk to and are confident that you should win their business (in their eyes), your next step is to determine the best way to identify and get in front of those clients.

The Link Between Consultative Selling & Customer Loyalty

2011-03-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

In a recent consultative selling training & coaching quarterly poll, a large % of sales pro stated that "ensuring the best customer loyalty and satisfaction" was keeping them up at night.

A 5% increase in customer service loyalty can boost profits by as much as 25% to 85%. Research has shown that satisfied clients lead to greater profitability and growth.

Read more about some of the consultative selling training programs, practices and make the link between industry leading business sales and service...

Do you know where Consultative Selling falls short?

2011-03-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

While solid product knowledge and advanced consultative selling training skills can deliver increased revenue, there is no guarantee they will deliver industry leading sales results.

Industry leadership comes when real business acumen is added to the mix and you become a trusted advisor as opposed to merely acting as one.

For your company to maintain or achieve industry leadership your sales force must be fluent in three areas related to developing trust, selling solutions and recognizing where consultative selling strategies fall short...Read the white paper.

Search for the Right Consultative Selling Resource. Right Now.

2010-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Introducing a powerful new Search Tool to help you track down the right Consultative Selling Training & Best Practice Resource right now. Search this blog and the vast collection of corporate training communities and related best practice blogs with a single click.

Step 1 - Locate the Search Tool to the right of this post

Step 2 - Type your keyword search phrase. eg. Performance Culture

Step 3 - Click Search

Step 4 - Review the results, sorted by:

This Blog | Sites Linked to this Blog | Recommended Blogs

See illustration below. Enjoy.

Consultative Selling Best Practice Resources

2010-05-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

From time to time, we like to provide visitors and subscribers to this blog with a refresher on where they can find helpful resources devoted to best practices in the area of Consultative Selling Performance and related areas.

We hope you find these resources insightful and relevant:

Enjoy!

Consultative Selling Training & Coaching - A Case Study in Best Practice

2010-03-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Client
Ultimate Software provides web-based payroll and employee performance management best practices and systems to organizations of all sizes. An important component of the company was the virtual Professional Services Organization and teams charged with providing client solutions.

Business Need
To meet the demands of a shifting economy and increased competition, Ultimate Software recognized the need to move from a product-oriented company to that of a solutions provider. They needed to partner with their clients by understanding their business issues and linking Ultimate Software solutions to these needs—saving their clients time and money.

Goal
Ultimate Software’s goal was to be seen as a strategic partner providing business solutions versus a software company. Through targeted and relevant consultative selling, executive selling and solution selling training investments and on-going sales coaching sessions, they wanted to arm their Professional Services Organization with the skills and training resources necessary to become true business partners with their clients.

Solution
The Consultative Selling Approach workshop was presented.. Download the complete Case Study PDF

Deal Slippage and the Consultative Sale

2009-11-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Even top performing consultative selling focused organizations that are typically focused solely on the steps they have to follow in their own internal solution selling process can find themselves quickly and easily misaligned with their customer’s buying process.

Both the sales team and the buying team have their own process to follow; for reasons that are easy to understand, they have different accountabilities and responsibilities to perform. Therefore, it is not surprising that the lack of correlation between buying and selling cycles is a major contributor to inaccurate strategic account plan forecasts. This lack of consideration and understanding of the customer’s internal pace and cadence for making decisions leaves salespeople few choices but to manage the deal solely through the use of their own indicators.

Learn how to close the gap ..