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You can't bring a horse to water
John was new to sales. Since leaving college he had worked successfully in a number of technical support roles. The time had come, he felt, to make the leap and take up a full time sales role. John relished this opportunity to put his extensive product knowledge to the test and show his new sales colleagues how it should be done.
Adopting Consultative Selling
How a prospect competitively positions your company is a critical factor when engaging in the buying/selling process. Fundamentally, positioning is about aligning your business with theirs, so that a clear synergy can be visualized by the prospect. When there is a perfect fit between organizations, selling becomes much easier because the in the early stages of the sales cycle the prospect mentally puts your organization ahead of the competition, in principle. Therefore, it is essential that the prospect is comfortable with the salesperson, and correctly positions your company.

Consultative Selling Approach
Consultative selling qualifies and listens to the customer to help them to buy what they need. It focuses on the needs of the customer and how to improve or benefit them in some way. It is the complete opposite to traditional methods of selling because it isn't about what the salesperson wants to sell them; it is about what the customer wants or needs to buy.
Top 20 Requirements - How Salespeople Can Be Better at Closing
While salespeople can get better at closing, closing is an outcome, and with the exception of real estate and banking, not really an event. When we evaluate sales forces and look at their ability to close, they may possess some of the strengths and skills that are part of the Sales Core Competency called Closing, but most of those attributes are used prior to, not during, closing time. The ability to close depends on the following 20 variables (in no particular order) that a salesperson brings to the table - or not:
The Difference Between Consultative Selling and Consultants
It's not new, it's been around since the 1960's, but it has since been formalized, complicated, examined, defined, refined, simplified and criticized.

What Causes Sales Prospecting Reluctance (and What to Do About It)
The right to succeed or fail is available to all of us equally... from the most to the least educated... from the best looking to the ugliest... from the most introverted to the most extroverted. And our business success or failure hinges on just ONE thing... our willingness to look for people to buy from us. All the rest of our business activities are window dressing.
Peaceful Objection Handling Tips
When you take objections head-on, trying to convince your prospect, make counter-arguments, explain how they're mistaken, justify, or insist, you create more resistance. Here's one way to handle the objection without resistance.
From death of a salesman to the birth of a partner
In this article Keith will look at some of the essential differences in attitude and skill between successful sales people of yester-year and those of today.
RADAR: THE CONSULTATIVE SELLING TOOL TO UTILIZE YOUR NATURAL STRENGTHS
Uncover the prospect's need while establishing trust and credibility.

How to Put Consulting into Consultative Selling
To describe a sales approach as "consultative" doesn't really explain it. It's a broad identifier, like saying someone is religious, which doesn't say what kind of religion. Saying you are a consultative salesperson is like saying you're in the category of "solution-oriented selling" vs. the category of "fast-talking carnival hawker." But that doesn't mean you know HOW TO DO it.
15 Presentation Tips to Convert your Sale
How to Present your Ideas to Buyers How you present yourself and your ideas to a potential buyer will depend on the venue, occasion and number of people you're presenting to. There are also some differences between presenting to one and presenting to a panel/group.

How Do I Know Which Sales Questions to Ask?
Many sales organizations will prepare lists of questions and hand them out to salespeople. You can even download lists of questions from many websites. The problem with that approach is that you still don't know what to ask when. It would be much better for you to prepare your own guidepost sales questions to fit your typical sales situations. Guidepost questions move the sales conversation the direction you want it to go. And it's always better to use a question to direct a conversation than an explanation.

Sales Experts Disagree on the Right Way to Train Salespeople
I was involved in a nearly week long, on line discussion with about a half dozen other sales experts in the Top Sales Experts Group at LinkedIn that to date has included about 41 volleys. The original question, raised by the UK publisher of modernselling.com, asked whether there was a right way or a wrong way to train salespeople. While there was some agreement on some points, there was much disagreement on many points.
New Real Estate Agent Advice - Does the Consumer Really Need a Realtor?
It can be hard hearing negative things about your profession after you've spent a lot of time and money educating yourself so you can represent your client diligently, or you've negotiated a contract into the wee hours, or worked the weekends instead of playing with the kids. (Hear the little violin?) But all that doesn't matter to the consumer. The consumer, well, consumes. Realtors are often in the position of trying not to get consumed while still making a buck.
Do You Need Sales Skills to Be Effective at Real Estate Prospecting?
The simple answer is Yes. That's because "effective prospecting" means converting leads, not collecting them. And converting leads requires sales skills. But here's something to give you hope: The traditional ways you've been taught to convert leads may actually create resistance, making it harder for you to convert leads.
Does A Hard Sell Work?
As many of you know I have a strong bias towards a consultative approach to selling. I share the values and competencies required for successful consultative selling, and despise those of the “hard sell”. I’ve also assumed that the consultative approach gets better results, that people resist a hard sell, and that a hard sell is not at all effective with large ticket sales. But I recently came across a sales organization that questioned these assumptions.
Employees make the Difference
If your store sells commoditieis or other items that can easily be found on the internet or at big box discounters, then you have to compete on service, not price. Leverage your employees to succeed.
How to Use High-Influence Sales Questions
The Best Questions are High-Influence. While there are many kinds of questions you can ask when selling, the kind that's most powerful is the least used -- and also the least understood.

How to Get a Prospect's Attention with Good Sales & Marketing
Starting a business relationship is one of the most difficult tasks in sales, but it's not rocket science. The key to prospecting successfully is twofold. First, you need to know what potential clients are looking for. Second, you need to know what low-cost platforms can be used to deliver it.
How Does Someone Actually Do Consultative Selling?
To describe a sales approach as "consultative" doesn't really explain it. It's a broad identifier. Saying someone is a consultative salesperson is like saying he's in the category of "solution-oriented selling" vs. the category of "fast-talking carnival hawker." But it doesn't tell you HOW TO DO it.

Using the Right SMB Sales Approach
The sales approach to employ in the SMB accounts depends upon a number of factors, such as the culture of your organization, the offerings you sell, and what the customer needs from you in the sales process. Knowing when to use a solution sales approach versus a consultative sales approach is a dilemma that confronts many sellers and directly impacts your odds of success.

What "Better Questioning and Listening Skills" Do Sales Reps Really Need?
I was having a chat with a business partner the other day about how sales managers often complain that their sales reps don’t LISTEN and ASK QUESTIONS very well. They present, handle objections, and close, but fail to engage and motivate. So in the end, they lose the sale.

Effective Sales Techniques and a Consultative Selling Approach for Today's Marketplace
A few impressive sales techniques and staying motivated is no longer enough! It used to be true that if a sales person had a great sales technique and was highly motivated they would be great at selling. Well, that’s no longer true in the world of B2B selling. If you want to be successful in today's marketplace, you have to have a whole armoury of selling techniques that form an effective and integrated selling system.
The Importance of Listening in Selling
The best salespeople were not necessarily the best talkers, they were the best listeners.
Value Added Selling
Value added selling is a proactive philosophy of seeking ways to enhance, augment, or enlarge on a solution for the Client. In value added selling you are always looking for ways to exceed the Client’s expectations.
What Sales People Need in a Down Economy
Selling can't slow down just because the economy does. Learn how to protect your business from economic disaster by helping your sales people get the one thing they need to sell in a down economy.
Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
When you want to truly serve your buyer yet optimize your opportunity to make the sale, Consultative Selling may be the right approach for you. Review this article to decide for yourself if your selling priorities align with those of this timeless and effective sales system.
Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
When you want to truly serve your buyer yet optimize your opportunity to make the sale, Consultative Selling may be the right approach for you. Review this article to decide for yourself if your selling priorities align with those of this timeless and effective sales system.
Consultative Selling Won't Fill Your Pipeline
This Consultative Selling article explains the role of this sales method in pipeline management.
Consultative Selling Solves the Puzzle Your Product Can't
Often the nature of your offer provides prospects with a puzzle they can't solve. This Consultative Selling article shows how your sales approach can make you a star.
Consultative Selling Solves the Puzzle Your Product Can't
Often the nature of your offer provides prospects with a puzzle they can't solve. This Consultative Selling article shows how your sales approach can make you a star.
Consultative Selling Fills an Important Gap for Buyers
Choosing the optimal selling system is highly dependent on the nature of your buyer. Read this Consultative Selling article to understand the gap that buyers need you to fill.

Consultative Selling Addresses the Need Buyers Never Admit
Your prospects will be eager to buy when you proactively address the hidden need identified in this Consultative Selling article. Ignoring this need will cost you sales.
Consultative Selling Addresses the Need Buyers Never Admit
Your prospects will be eager to buy when you proactively address the hidden need identified in this Consultative Selling article. Ignoring this need will cost you sales.
Don't Fake An Orgasm
In Consultative Sales Approaches, we're taught to say and do things that can backfire on our success. Learn how to be authentic and watch your sales grow.

Other consultative selling Related Articles

Consultative Selling
Consultative selling is a highly evolved and extraordinarily successful approach to selling. In consultative selling, the entire sales process is oriented toward the salesperson, or “consultant”, understanding the nature of and assisting his customer or client in the solving of the client's product-related problems.

Does A Hard Sell Work?
As many of you know I have a strong bias towards a consultative approach to selling. I share the values and competencies required for successful consultative selling, and despise those of the “hard sell”. I’ve also assumed that the consultative approach gets better results, that people resist a hard sell, and that a hard sell is not at all effective with large ticket sales. But I recently came across a sales organization that questioned these assumptions.
Consultative Selling Fills an Important Gap for Buyers
Choosing the optimal selling system is highly dependent on the nature of your buyer. Read this Consultative Selling article to understand the gap that buyers need you to fill.

Consultative Selling is Classic and Classy
When you want to truly serve your buyer yet optimize your opportunity to make the sale, Consultative Selling may be the right approach for you. Review this article to decide for yourself if your selling priorities align with those of this timeless and effective sales system.
5 Things Your Sales Force Can Do to Thrive in this Economy
One of my clients recently completed a transformation. I helped them transform their salespeople from account managers to hunters and closers, from order takers to consultative salespeople and from selling on price to selling at their price - all while selling into one of the markets most devastated by the recession.
Stepping Beyond Consultative Sales
Collaborative or consultative selling. What’s the difference? Aren’t they interchangeable terms? Not really. Collaboration is a step beyond traditional consultative selling. And an opportunity to sell more WITH your buyers.
How to Put Consulting into Consultative Selling
To describe a sales approach as "consultative" doesn't really explain it. It's a broad identifier, like saying someone is religious, which doesn't say what kind of religion. Saying you are a consultative salesperson is like saying you're in the category of "solution-oriented selling" vs. the category of "fast-talking carnival hawker." But that doesn't mean you know HOW TO DO it.
Sales Coaching: For Entrepreneurs – Part 2
How To implement a Strong System Process for Consultative Selling
How Does Someone Actually Do Consultative Selling?
To describe a sales approach as "consultative" doesn't really explain it. It's a broad identifier. Saying someone is a consultative salesperson is like saying he's in the category of "solution-oriented selling" vs. the category of "fast-talking carnival hawker." But it doesn't tell you HOW TO DO it.

New Selling Skills Needed in Today's Marketplace
Traiditonal sales techniques do not work in today's economic climate. Recent trends demand new selling skills which take a consultative selling approach to business development.
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