I hear much discussion about how sales has changed.\u00a0 There is a new paradigm out there.\u00a0 Buyers are different.\u00a0 They have more knowledge.\u00a0 They are smarter.\u00a0 They enter the buying process farther down the selling process.\u00a0 I hear that sales has to be prepared to discuss the prospect’s business.\u00a0 They need to have a good value proposition that differentiates them from their competition.\u00a0 They must say something insightful to catch the attention of the prospect.\u00a0\u00a0 It’s really different today.\u00a0 So, tell me, what is different from ten, twenty years ago?<\/p>\n
I contend that sales hasn’t changed.\u00a0 What has changed is the tremendous availability of data and information.\u00a0 Both sides, buyers and sellers, have a vast increase in the available information with which to operate.<\/p>\n
Buyers are using this new information access to get better educated.\u00a0 They are using it to better identify and clarify their problems, challenges, and needs.\u00a0 They are leveraging it to improve their preliminary evaluation of approaches and alternatives to making improvements in their business.\u00a0 Sales representatives have better access to company and contact information. They also have better access to industry trends and their competition.\u00a0 Both sides can use this increased data pool to be better prepared to dialog with the other side.<\/p>\n
What hasn’t changed is the need for the sales representatives to first clearly understand the value of their own products, solutions, or services.\u00a0 How does what they do actually impact the prospect’s business?\u00a0 Second is the need to professionally communicate with the prospect to gain an understanding of their business and requirements.\u00a0 Third, they need to be able to position the specific results they can deliver for that prospect through their products, solutions, or services.<\/p>\n
My contention is that this is what we have been doing over the past 20 to 30 years way back when it got the name Consultative Selling.\u00a0 It has evolved to Solution Selling, or any number of other tags that represent gaining an understanding of your customer\u2019s needs (some people still call it the customer’s pain) and we describe the results (value) we can produce for them.\u00a0 In this information and data rich environment in which we live, both sides are better equipped to meet the challenges of the other.\u00a0 But we still have to execute.\u00a0 We have to be willing to learn about our prospects.\u00a0 We have to be able to listen.\u00a0 We still have to be able to carry on a constructive, consultative business conversation.\u00a0 To do that, we must train our sales representatives on the value of our solutions and how to listen and learn about our prospects so that we can relate specifically what we can do for them.\u00a0 This hasn’t changed and never will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I hear much discussion about how sales has changed.\u00a0 There is a new paradigm out there.\u00a0 Buyers are different.\u00a0 They have more knowledge.\u00a0 They are smarter.\u00a0 They enter the buying process farther down the selling process.\u00a0 I hear that sales … Continue reading