The highest paid and most successful sales professionals are those involved in what's known as consultative selling. What is consultative selling? Simply put, it's a technique in which a salesperson acts as an expert consultant to his customer, asking questions to identify needs and then choosing the solution that will bring the greatest benefit.
This approach requires that you position yourself as someone with the experience and insight to help customers meet their needs. It's a valuable tool in dealing with complex accounts where many factors are involved and competition is a factor. With consultative selling, you can easily best the competition.
Here are 5 tips for using this approach:
1. Know your customer. In consultative selling, it's important to know exactly who your customer is and what she needs and wants. It requires that you think of yourself differently, focusing on getting your customer financial results rather than making a sale.
2. Do your homework. One of the key variables in consultative sales is your knowledge of the customer's situation. You must learn everything you can about the customer's situation before you even dare to suggest a solution or course of action.
