How to Win
“How to WIN business (without pushing your methodology on customers)”
What do sales trainers and coaches give to sales people during sales skills training courses? A lot! We can probably agree that among the learning points we trainers pass on to you sales people are different models of selling. In other words, we suggest you to follow certain steps when selling to your customers. There are well known models of selling: AIDA, Solution Selling, Value Selling, Consultative Selling, Assertive Selling, Strategic Selling and also some less common ones like SAS, DAPA, APPEAL, DIG, etc. What does all this mean from the customer’s perspective? It means that sales guy is executing his chosen way of selling and he wants the client to follow.
Is anything wrong with such approach you may ask? Well, probably nothing if this gives you the desired results. But does it always work well? Is the customer happily answering your questions and supplying data? Do we expect him to be happy with this?
I do not know all the answers, but I think that it can’t hurt him (and may help us) when we both see the steps in the process, and both like to follow them. But how can we achieve this nirvana?
We decided to try some different customer-based sales conversations, they sounded more or less like this:
“Dear customer, have you always been happy following the sales persons way of selling to you?” What if today I would suggest something different….
Why don’t you tell me how you like to buy and what I need to do to make your decision easier to reach? I will follow your suggestion 100%. There is only one request from me. If I have evidence and would be able to show you that your way of buying may not satisfy your need, if we follow it, will you let me present some current ideas about that?”
Are you with me now? Do you know what this approach means to sales professionals? This means that after hearing what your customer said you have two simple actions to choose from:
1 – follow what they said if it suits you
2 – look for an alternative way of proceeding and present it
After choosing the action you can revert back to the relevant selling model. Now they will listen to yours questions with attention. It is not always easy to come to this point just following selling model steps. It gives you also better chance that they will like your way – as long as you follow what you both agreed. What about if they ask… does this approach always work?
OK, I will tell you how we worked with one customer buying auto refinish paints. He told to my student that he was looking for some low price products. “I can show them to you said my friend. But also I can present how product with higher price will give you more income and how it will be appreciated by your clients. Go ahead please said customer”.
From this moment consultative selling model was used and arguments based on TCO convinced customer to buy exactly this what my student knew was best solution for his customer”. And what it did for them was more earnings and mutual trust. For both.
The sales consultants authenticity, integrity, and level of trustworthiness, will be sub-consciously measured by the customer. They will react to your smile, your voice tone/pitch/volume, your level of eye contact, your handshake and general appearance.
All this will significantly influence the final result. We did numerous real sales attempts with some of my sales students- and we’ve had success in re-positioning the sales conversation to ensure we are seen as ‘trusted advisors’ rather than ‘product pushers.’
Concluding: Do I suggest that having selling methodology and expecting customer to follow it is wrong? Not at all, but this is also not all you can do. By re-positioning the sales conversation like this, we are more likely to positively influence the customer to engage in the sales process. Sales Process are designed to deliver results through better understanding of exactly what the customer wants or needs before we present any solutions- to avoid it becoming a ‘price only’ conversation and weakening the relationship.
Our aim here is only to share what works very well for us and let you ponder on it. Good Luck and Happy Selling.
About the Author:
Miroslaw Turek is representative for Poland of Global Growth Group. Based in Warsaw, Mirek has been working with several companies for many years, supporting them in their business growth.