Moving Beyond Price: Differentiating Yourself through a Consultative Selling Approach When we interview our clients to learn why they picked us for a sales training solution, the reason we hear given most often isn’t what you might expect. Although we offer comprehensive sales solutions, exceptional customization capabilities, outstanding facilitators, and many other tangible strengths, the reason we hear the most is that "you were the best fit." When we look further into that answer, we usually hear phrases, such as "you really got our business and our culture" and "we had confidence in your ability to deliver what we need." In a time when buyers have instant access to volumes of information at their fingertips, soft factors still matter. They can matter a lot. As a sales professional, you work in a world where your competitors may be able to match you in price, product quality, and even features. So, how do you convince a potential client to buy from you? You must use a consultative selling approach to help differentiate your solution and yourself from your competitors. You don’t just offer yourself as someone who can supply good solutions; you offer yourself as someone who is fully vested in the client’s success, not just someone trying to sell to the client. You strive to be the best "fit." So, how do you become the best fit? This process starts with preparation before the conversation. You need to identify the decision makers and understand what matters to them the most. Your preparation also supports qualifying opportunities and making sure you are going after opportunities that align with your strengths. Preparation ensures that you have enough competitive intelligence to not just compete feature against feature but also to really describe how your solution aligns with client priorities and the factors that matter most to the decision makers. It’s not just a one-way process sale, but a truly collaborative sale. To do this, find out how to connect what you offer with what the client needs. Move beyond price, but don’t forget about price. One of our trainers offers some sage advice on how this might be done: I think one of the first things is don’t ignore price. Acknowledge that price is a factor. I think early on in the process, try to qualify that opportunity with the customer. Is this somebody who truly is just price shopping? They’ve got a relationship already, and they’re just seeing if you could save them some ridiculous amount of money. Otherwise, they have no intention of moving. So, acknowledge it; seek to qualify it. When we get to discussing price understand the customer well enough at that time to be able to lean on real value, not generic value but value to the customer. If the client is basing a decision on more than just price and solution features, start by asking questions. Be curious. Seek to understand as much as you can about that person — his/her goals, aspirations, and accountabilities — before you start talking about the different ways that you can help them do specifics. But, too often, the questions are really eligibility questions — can the client afford what you are selling? — which then turns into a near rote recitation of product features and, possibly, some benefits. You will achieve much higher hit-rates if you just relax and qualify a little bit better and sooner. When your client is "in the moment," ask people questions. ask more questions; ask deeper questions; ask broader questions, ask open-ended questions. Ask comprehensive questions because what you’re after here is to learn about the client. Ask questions to get the information you need to create a win-win outcome. Ask questions to get at least some idea of how the client thinks. The client wants someone who provides a product or service that they need at a price that they consider a good value. The client wants a real solution to a real problem. The client also wants someone not only with whom the client can do business with, but with whom they want to do business. When you convince the client you are this person and company, you have differentiated yourself and are well on the way to a successful sale. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post Moving Beyond Price: Differentiating Yourself through a Consultative Selling Approach appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Creating a compelling Case Against No Action is Critical in Closing a Deal. Learn 3 Sales Closing Techniques to Help Clients and Prospects Get More Invested So It Feels you’re Closing the Deal Together One of the skills we reinforce and model during Richardson sales training sessions is the Close: asking for the business or next steps to maintain momentum on sales opportunities. This is something sales professionals struggle with, as do clients who don’t want to be pressured into making buying decisions. That’s why getting clients invested in the Close early on in the sales process is so important. How this plays out is a lesson in role play — not the kind we do in our training sessions but in adopting different roles depending on the sales scenario. Here are three sales closing techniques and roles for getting clients invested in the Close: Be a cheerleader. Early in a sales call, talk to the person about desired results. Learn what is important to them both professionally and personally. With that information, you can become a cheerleader giving them a pep talk. "You are in a position where this could be career defining for you. Have you ever thought of it this way?" Then paint a picture with examples and evidence to support this statement. People who are fortunate enough to be leading these kinds of projects have the opportunity to make an impact in a meaningful way. Be a visionary. The more insight you can provide someone — from anticipating potential barriers or navigating within their organization to assisting them with their own internal business cases — you are helping them to become evangelists for the project, both when you’re there, and even more important, when you’re not. It’s this kind of behind-the-scenes support that can make a real difference. If you can identify sponsors and then develop them so that they have this level of commitment to the project, then the Close becomes very reliable. Be a politician. Often, there is more than one person involved in a buying decision. With complex deals, there might even be a steering committee or other groups of stakeholders. It’s important for you to understand the political currents that can affect the Close. For example, the steering committee typically will schedule an important meeting to discuss the pending decision. This is where the team leader will take a recommendation forward and the steering team will have a conversation and make a decision. In this scenario, prepare your clients for something that they may not expect: an anti-sponsor. Be ready for the moment when that person tries to turn the conversation in the opposite direction. Ask them to identify someone, in advance, who has high credibility with the team and can bring the conversation back on track. This is crucial because deals can be lost in that moment; however, if you protect the direction of the conversation, the moment passes, and the deal can be saved. When you take on these different roles, supporting and nurturing the deal, your clients can become so invested in the Close that it’s almost like you’re closing the deal together. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post 3 Sales Closing Techniques for Getting Clients Invested in the Deal appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

How to Close a Sale? Generate Urgency! In my previous post we provided 3 closing techniques for getting a client invested in the deal. Today I will review creating urgency in how to close a sale.  The Close of business deals can be frustratingly slow. The solution is to generate urgency at every juncture so that you create action that moves the deal forward and, in turn, builds velocity toward the Close. Consider the complexity of many sales initiatives and the stakeholders involved in decision making. To elevate the urgency, you need to understand what the triggers and dynamics are internally and then build upon that. Risk is a huge trigger for many clients. While they might consider the risk involved in going forward with a project, you can focus on the risk of not taking action. If you can quantify the risk of not moving forward, that’s even better because that elevates the sense of urgency around action, which gets people to mobilize and commit. For example, we have recently worked with a company that has a relatively high Net-Promoter score. In this scenario, they want to go from good to great, and to do that, they have to engage with their clients in such a superior fashion that it clearly differentiates them from their competitors. The problem is there has been some leakage in scores that could impact their future. The level of urgency for action is high, based on a competitive and changing market that is becoming more aggressive. The longer they put off doing something, the more time they lose to make a difference. Another consideration is timing. Often, the urgency is around making something happen in the current fiscal year. The risk, therefore, comes from acting later rather than sooner. With many clients, you have to figure out the specific risk that arises from action, or inaction, and create the urgency for them. Just because people work within a certain industry or company doesn’t mean that they understand all of the risk. It will help if you could identify how this delay can hinder their achievement of current targets. Another way to do this is by relating stories that are based on experience. For example, we recently had a conversation with someone in which we encouraged a client to get approval from her CEO to secure the budget for the entire project, not just phase one. We did so by telling her about another client who didn’t do it that way, and when roles changed in executive-level management, phases two and three of that project were taken off the table. We warned her about the risk of losing momentum by missing the window of opportunity to get the budget needed to complete the project. It’s interesting to note that the biggest indicator of success in helping clients understand risk and urgency is the positive impact on their careers. Once you understand what your clients want to accomplish, and you create a vision together, very positive things can happen to them career-wise when you help them to fulfill that vision. By lighting a fire under your clients to create a sense of urgency, you can benefit from faster closes while they benefit from implementing your solutions. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post Urgency Creates Velocity in How to Close a Sale appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Becoming Hardwired to Close Deals One could argue that the whole point of selling is to close deals. That’s often easier said than done. Many sales professionals struggle with asking for the business or next steps to maintain momentum on sales opportunities. This hesitancy is why Richardson includes "Closing" as one of its Six Critical Skills within its Consultative Selling Framework. From my own experience working with sales professionals, I know that by the time you get to the Close, you should already have created such strong sponsorship within the situation that it’s hardwired for the Close. In fact, we tend to think about the collaboration leading up to the Close as just as important, if not more so, as planning for the Close. The situation we recommend that you are in at closing time is this: your sponsor and you should be in it together. You are creating a plan for how you are going to execute and make the deal happen, going well beyond just getting the right signatures on a contract. There are several things you can do throughout the sales cycle to put yourself in this superior position to close deals: Find the right sponsor. Look for someone on the decision-making team who is invested in moving the deal forward. They typically have a lot on the line in terms of wanting to see this through and achieve the desired results. Be proactive in looking for someone with the ability to be a change agent. Don’t hitch your wagon to the wrong horse. Another element of finding the right sponsor is not making the common mistake of choosing one with little credibility or authority within the organization. A sponsor must be someone who is respected, can make decisions, and is in a position to help get things done. Map all stakeholders. Many people may be involved in the decision-making process. The best way to identify potential sponsors is to map all the players. Then, begin to build an understanding of their motivators and their influencers. Understand your sponsor’s motivations. Invest the time to understand your sponsor, whether it’s one person or several, then build a story or vision around how your proposal supports their success. You might focus on how it can make them look smart, elevate their career status, or meet whatever aspirations are important to them. These are things sponsors don’t necessarily talk about, but by understanding their motivators, you can reinforce how the deal can help them achieve their goals. Convey the real importance of the Close. To your sponsor, the Close should become more than just an approval of the deal. The true importance of the Close should be about the results that you get from collaborating with this person or this team. Throughout the sales process, you should be creating so much value with and for your sponsor, the team, and the company, that the Close becomes a non-event. All should be eager to get started on the project and be invested both in wanting you to win the deal and in achieving the results your proposal has promised. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post Becoming Hardwired to Close Deals appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Preparation Is Key to a Successful Questioning Strategy Asking good sales questions is a derivative of good preparation. That’s a given in my book. And I’ll give you a personal example that proves the point. I was working on a sales opportunity with what has become one of Richardson’s largest clients. We were nearing the final presentation and would be going head-to-head against a major competitor in our industry. Our team would be presenting to a dozen people, and so we focused considerable energies on preparation. Before we even entered the room, we wanted to know what those 12 were thinking so that we could be sure to address their expectations in our questioning and presentation strategy. I contacted each one of the 12 and was able to speak with ten people. In these individual conversations, I thanked them for their time and assured them that it would be time well spent because what is important to Richardson is what is important to them. I told them that I wanted to hear their individual views before meeting en masse so that I could understand their critical objectives for the meeting, what would be important for them to hear, and what they needed to walk away from the meeting knowing in order to make their decision. When we all sat down together, our team had a good idea about the level of questions that we needed to pose and the insights that we needed to bring. We weren’t flying by the seat of our pants; we weren’t throwing out trial balloons; we were addressing what they told me they wanted to know. Our presentation was laser focused, and we were able to link different points to the specific issues raised by individuals. We won the business, largely because we talked about what was important to the customer, not by talking about what was important to Richardson. We won because of thorough preparation that informed our questioning and presentation strategy. At Richardson, our model for preparation has three layers: Strategic preparation — thinking about the objectives of the meeting and visualizing the meeting at every stage, from Opening to Need Dialogue through to Solution and Close Client preparation — understanding the client’s objectives, strategies, and political dynamic, which involves understanding the individuals involved in the meeting and their company Technical preparation — knowing the features and benefits of your products and company, the industry, and the market As I prepare for any client meeting, I always have a collection of questions that are top of mind. But, my plan is to be in the moment and ask what’s relevant at that point rather than sound scripted. If I show up with a list of set questions, and ask them one after another, then I’m an order-taker. Anyone can do that. Instead, I prepare questions in basic categories that are designed to get to the client’s root issue. Some key questioning areas include strategy, infrastructure, culture, knowledge, attitude, and skills. With thorough preparation and a carefully crafted questioning strategy, salespeople are better positioned to conduct a dialogue with clients in which they sound well-informed, thoughtful, and credible. Clients can see through a lack of preparation. They spot when salespeople are winging it. They dismiss those who "show up and throw up," just doing a data dump on their own company, often with a generic presentation. The analogy I use is trying to build an airplane while flying it. It can’t be done. You have to build it on the ground and then fly. With client meetings, you have to prepare thoroughly before each one. That’s the only way to craft an effective sales questioning strategy that adds insights and builds credibility. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post Preparation Is Key to a Successful Sales Questioning Strategy appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Why Sales Training Reinforcement is a Must-Have Richardson recently partnered with the Aberdeen Group to provide you with complimentary access to its newest research, Once is Not Enough: Why Sales Training Reinforcement is a Must Have. This report is a "must-have" that identifies the organizational best practices that "post-training reinforcement" companies invest in to emphasize how sales training is not only as an event, but as a lifestyle, that can achieve measurably better results. Here are some key findings that we thought you might find some of the data interesting: 34% more of first-year sales reps achieve quota at organizations with post-training reinforcement Companies that perform post-training reinforcement see a customer renewal rate of 74% Post-training reinforcement companies are 64% more likely to collect sales lessons learned on the fly by the entire team and incorporate them into their sales methodology to promote cross- and up-selling If you would like to access the entire report, please click on the banner below. If you would like to discuss how a reinforcement process might help you gain better results from your training initiatives, please let me know. Thanks in advance, The post Complementary Research Study - Why Sales Training Reinforcement is a Must-Have appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Winning Sales Approach - Asking vs. Telling Over the past year, I’ve been involved in a number of significant sales training initiatives at Richardson with companies that had first invested heavily in other types of sales performance improvement programs. Each had been trying to make fundamental changes in their sales approach to match the constantly evolving B2B buying environment. As one of our clients, a recently relayed chemical distribution company’s salespeople had taken another flavor of sales training, and while they liked the training, there was no sustainment of the learning. They weren’t using their new skills or changing their behaviors. Implementation and execution had suffered, and so they approached Richardson for sales training in blocking-and-tackling skills that could help in delivering the expected results. When I have asked other clients about their experiences and why they’re interested in Richardson’s Consultative Selling Skills, they say things like this: "My guys have been trying to provoke new thinking and ideas, but they don’t have the credibility. They’re 24-years-old and trying to tell executives how they should run their business instead of asking good questions and establishing a meaningful dialogue. They just end up sounding arrogant." Age isn’t the issue here; it’s strategy and preparation. At Richardson, we believe that the strategy of telling vs. asking, especially without the proper preparation, can chill many deals. We are, after all, human beings, and we typically prefer a dialogue over monologue. A consultative selling strategy is steeped in meaningful dialogue with thought-provoking sales questions and strong objection-resolution skills. Salespeople take control but in a different way than other sales approaches advocate. They know what they want to accomplish at every point in the dialogue, taking the time to probe, learn, and gain a thorough understanding of the customer’s needs, decision criteria, and other relevant information before discussing any product. My overall sales questioning strategy is like a funnel. At the top are open-ended questions that show some insight and preparation. It’s not coming in and saying, "Tell me about your business." That type of question will only win a quick exit out of the door. A good high-level, open-ended question is one that gets the customer talking. "I see there’s an effort underway to change the financial regulations in a manner that could have a significant impact on how you do business. Several of my clients are quite concerned about this. What has been the reaction in your company?" The next question will depend on the customer’s answer, which means listening closely and intently to what is said and, if possible, determining if there’s something left unsaid that needs further probing. Through active listening and observation, salespeople should be able to pace the dialogue, moving between asking questions that seed understanding or seek confirmation, and providing insights that seed new ideas or influence thinking. At Richardson, we call this the Sales Conversation Pendulum. There’s value in provoking thought and being a bit disruptive, but to be effective with customers, such provocation has to come from the right questions and insights. If the foundation isn’t there, the salesperson will likely be hammered with objections. And, while the Richardson model includes a multi-step model for resolving objections, it’s better to be prepared and avoid going down that path if you can. As the dialogue progresses, and depending on the level of people involved, the salesperson may get to what I call the bottom of the funnel questions. These explore the specifics related to things like strategy, infrastructure, attitude, and culture. Whether asking sales questions at the top or the bottom of the funnel, all should be designed to provoke a rich conversation that does two things. First is to demonstrate that the salesperson has done the homework, is well prepared, and has earned the right to be listened to and considered. Second is to show that the salesperson possesses real knowledge and insights that are relevant and timely to the customer, making them a good choice as a business partner. This kind of consultative approach, with good questions and insights, creates a strong foundation for interacting with customers and executing more productive sales calls. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post A Winning Sales Approach - How Sales Questions are like a Funnel appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Richardson is completing a research project on teamwork in selling, and we are interested in your views. Please click here to complete this ten-minute survey. After completing the survey, you will have a chance to enter your contact information to receive a copy of the report, and to become eligible to win a Nike Fitbit.  Thank you, in advance, for your interest and participation in this survey. Survey Link - http://hubs.ly/H019W9_0     The post Teamwork in Selling Research appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Providing a balance between asking good sales questions and providing good insights Back before the days of Internet searches, salespeople could start conversations with, "Tell me about your business and what keeps you up at night." Now, the answer would be: "I’m not here to educate you. I don’t have time to be your onboarding department. You’re supposed to know this stuff." If you ask sales questions that are too basic, to which you would have known the answer if you’d done your homework, you risk annoying the customer. And, if you ask too many questions, even good ones, one after another, it becomes an interrogation. In sales dialogues, there needs to be a balance between asking good sales questions and providing good insights. The customer doesn’t have the time or the patience to do what essentially is onboarding, but they often make time to reason together if you bring them value and provoke thought in meaningful ways. The catch with insights is that you can’t sound perceptive without the right sales questioning strategy. If you ask too few questions, you can end up presupposing things that may or may not be true. You also risk coming across as arrogant or self-servicing in your insights. A better approach is illustrated by the Sales Conversation Pendulum, which swings between asking and sharing question-led dialogue and insight-led dialogue. In between the two is the essential skill of listening. Listening is a critical skill that just makes common sense. Although, as the saying goes, common sense is not so common. It’s certainly not common practice. If you go into a meeting with six great questions on a topic, but after the first one, the customer indicates that’s not an area of interest, it’s madness to go forward with the next five questions in your pocket. That’s why listening is one of Richardson’s Six Critical Skills, along with questioning, checking, relating, presence, and positioning. An effective process involves asking open-ended questions, listening, checking, and so on. It takes planning and practice, especially when wild cards are thrown in. Salespeople need to be able to react in the moment, and being able to switch from Plan A to Plan B becomes seamless when these critical skills are second nature. Gauging how well your questioning strategy is going in real time also includes the ability to read body language. That’s why face-to-face meetings are preferable to conference calls. When sitting in front of a group of decision makers, it’s easy to see the interactions between people in the meeting. Are they looking at you, at each other, or at their watches? You can tell if they’re paying attention and engaged or whether you’re missing the mark. By watching body language, you can follow the reactions and interactions as you drill down in your sales questioning strategy. You want to make sure you’re asking two or three layers of clarifying questions to make sure you understand not only what they’re saying but what they actually mean — and to confirm that what those words mean to you reflect what they mean to customers. If, for example, someone says, "I want this initiative to be highly successful," my response would be, "Tell me what the desired level of success looks like to you." That kind of checking is important because we may have totally different ways of defining success. Asking a clarifying, follow-up question makes sure that we’re both on the same page looking for the same result. Asking, listening, clarifying, providing insights — it all sounds easy in theory, and it can be. All it takes is planning, preparation, and practice of your sales questioning strategy — over and over again. Learn more about Richardson’s Consultative Selling Sales Training Solutions. The post The Danger of Asking Too Many, or Too Few, Sales Questions appeared first on Richardson Sales Enablement Blog.

Not meeting expectations hurts salespeople during the sales process... and foursomes that don't have a fourth. Last Friday, I was looking for one more person to round out a foursome for a Saturday golf date. That evening I bumped into an acquaintance, mentioned we needed an extra, and he agreed to play.   The next morning as the clock struck eight, three of us were on the first tee, ready to go.  The friend who agreed to play the night before was nowhere to be found with no message or explanation for his absence. He stood us up. Behavior like this drives me crazy and it sets a precedent for how he’s going to act in the future.  I’m certainly never going to invite him to play golf again. Saying one thing and doing another can be devastating to your sales effort. Continually setting, and meeting, expectations is one of the easiest and most direct ways to build the strong, trusted relationships you need to close deals. However, in the heat of the chase - or in the warm glow of a Friday evening - promises are made, but never kept.