Yesterday I presented my first live webinar of 2010 - during an incredibly violent thunder storm here in Paris, I should add - and today, I have provided some extracts. If you would like to listen in to the entire recording, I have provided a link at the end.
I discussed the history of "Traditional Selling" which is still being practiced by approximately 80% of the sales population, and then went on to reveal how a further 15%, have moved up to a more "Consultative" approach. However, today's top 5% achievers are now adopting a "Collaborative" style,which is totally customer centric.
Consultative selling is a term in use and totally accepted around the globe. It has been described as - "a selling methodology and mindset where the seller, acting as a trusted advisor, assists the buyer in identifying needs and offering solutions within their relationship." But is it enough today?
Do the buyers in today's economy and demographics want more? The short answer? ... Most definitely yes. They want to be a part of the process AND the solution, because when the buyer and seller act as partners, they are building a bridge to profitability.
The primary objective of a sales partnership has to be: to create and sustain a mutually productive relationship, which serves the needs of both parties, now and in the future. The key word here is symbiotic. Partnership means eliminating the tension between buyer and seller; it means that top-performing salespeople know how to strike a balance between achieving immediate results and developing the relationship fully.
Collaborative Selling: The Three Roles of A Collaborative Salesperson
As we are all aware, getting to know the customer and understanding their needs is not a quick and easy process. Customers possess a hierarchy of needs, which have to be uncovered gradually. This is why we need a new type of salesperson for a new type of customer.
So what does this new breed of salesperson look like? For a start he or she has progressed from the more traditional, 'lone ranger' approach of selling to a more team-basedone. Our research shows that a collaborative salesperson needs to fulfill three basic roles, that of Business Consultant, Strategic Orchestrator and Long Term Ally.
By combining all three roles salespeople are more able to develop and maintain long-term relationships with clients. At the same time, organizations need to ensure that they provide their salespeople with the vital support systems and training that enable them to make the most of their knowledge and skills.
1) Business Consultant: We all accept that gone are the days in which a salesperson could simply walk into an office, establish a good rapport with the client, show he/she had thorough knowledge of their products and services and clinch the sale. Nowadays, the emphasis is on establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and in order to achieve this, the salesperson needs to earn the right to continue discussions with his/her client. Before they can proceed to sell their products or services, the salesperson needs to reassure the client of their integrity, reliability and ability to understand and recommend the appropriate solution.
2) Strategic Orchestrator: To fulfill this role, the salesperson needs to be seen as the key person responsible for engineering the appropriate solution. This involves coordinating all of the information, resources and activities needed to support customers before, during and after the sale. It means enlisting support from specialist colleagues and hence the move away from the "lone ranger" approach.
According to our research, effective Strategic Orchestrators have mastered the following competencies:
Knowledge of their own company's structure
Expertise in developing and managing a team
Ability to manage priorities and performance
Ability to co-ordinate delivery and service to customers
Efficiency
Flexibility
Customers of strategic orchestrators express a high level of confidence in the salesperson and his or her organization. This increased confidence can lead to faster buying decisions, increased repeat business and strengthened links between customer and supplier organizations. Working as Strategic Orchestrator, salespeople are also able to develop their organization's capacity for team selling.
3) Long Term Ally: Since the key to differentiation is in forging closer links with clients, the role of long term ally is a crucial one. Once the salesperson has earned the right, it is important to develop and maintain the relationship.
As the term suggests, acting as a long term ally, involves maintaining contact with the client even when there is no immediate prospect for a sale. It also suggests that the salesperson needs to be committed to the long-term development of the relationship.
Our research shows that top salespeople demonstrate this commitment by continuously looking for ways to:
Build interpersonal trust
Create and maintain a positive image of the sales organization
Inspire respect for their company
Show genuine concern for their customers' short and long-term interest
Identify ways to strengthen the quality of their business relationship
Help the customer meet needs within his or her organization
Deal with issues openly and honestly
Deliver on promises
It is also crucial for the salesperson to ensure that the relationship between the organizations is mutually beneficial. In other words, it is essential to build and honor the expectation that reaching agreements will mean good business for both parties.
At the end of the day, taking a long-term approach proves more profitable since the customer will recognize that the salesperson is taking a committed interest and in so doing is giving honest and open advice. This inevitably encourages the customer to trust the salesperson and to view him or her as a colleague rather than an opponent, thus removing completely the tension which exists in a "Traditional" sales scenario.
In Summary-Long Term Allies and Mutually Beneficial Agreements
Supplier Organizations Must Be Willing To ..
Elicit feedback from customers regarding overall satisfaction with the products / services delivered
Maintain regular contact with current and prospective customers
Alert customers to new developments in own organization
Review the business relationship underlying each account on a regular basis
Buyer Organization Must Be Willing To..
Keep suppliers "in the loop" regarding the company's strategic direction and needs
Value the record of service provided by supplier organizations above lower cost competitors
Grant access and information about their customers to the supplier organizations
Customer Focus via a Copllaborative Approach Creates Competitive Advantage:
• The one term that sets collaborative sales professionals apart - customer focus
• Outstanding sales results depend on:
- The ability to think from the customer's point of view
- Understanding the customer's agenda, buying cycle and best interests
• Beyond a superficial reading of immediate customer needs, salespeople must gain a deeper understanding of both the buyer's long-term goals and the overall business climate
• At the heart of customer focus is the art of listening constructively - the best salespeople are masters at capturing information
• Customer focus means taking the customer seriously - to-day the salesperson who clings to the product orientation of a decade ago is losing ground
• As client companies branch into new markets and unfamiliar territories, they are demanding unique, flexible solutions from their vendors - customised to support specific goals
In summary, in order to maintain customer focus the best salespeople become facilitators, creating a partnership that extends the selling relationship within the customer's company. The motivation to achieve this should be strong - it now costs fifteen times as much to attract and sell to a new customer as it does to an existing one!
Three additional areas, which set collaborative players apart from the rest, are:
Commercial Acumen: Collaborative sales professionals have high levels of strategic awareness and they can communicate comfortably with board level players, i.e. the economic buyers using common language and terminology. Traditional, and even consultative performers, unable to demonstrate credibility when discussing financial, commercial and political issues, are usually left behind and require assistance from a manager or director.
Competitive Courage: In order to achieve consistent levels of success in today's environment, it is necessary to be able to pro-actively target competitors and their client base. Any individual, who lacks the guts for a fight and is not comfortable with competitive selling, will severely restrict their potential.
Being Focused On Political Activity: You can of course question the legitimacy of politics, but you cannot deny their existence. The sales professional that fails to recognise the importance that politics play in virtually every complex sale, will almost certainly consign themselves to a career selling traditionally. No one ever said that we must take part in the political game, but recognising that a game is being played, whether we like or not is essential i.e. what you understand you can manage.
What I can say for certain, is that collaborative selling has become an exclusive club of highly skilled professionals where, for example, product knowledge, time management skills, objection handling and closing skills will not gain you entry.
If you would like to listen to the entire presentation, please go HERE (It may take a few minutes to load)
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