Sales Methodologies

There are as many as 15 different established (and proven) sales methodologies - to list them all here would be somewhat excessive. Having said that, every technology business is different and as with anything in life, there is a "best fit" approach for each objective, whether that be a cooking recipe, a fitness routine or a factory production line. First of all, what is a sales methodology? A sales methodology is a framework or set of principles that guide a company’s sales reps to close clients. It takes goals and turns them into actionable steps for those sales reps to complete during each stage of the sales process.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most well-known examples.

SPIN Selling

N.E.A.T. Selling?

Conceptual Selling

SNAP Selling

Challenger Sale

The Sandler System

MEDDIC

Solution Selling

Popularised by Neil Rackham in 1988, SPIN is an acronym for the four elements that a sales rep's questions for prospects should focus on: the situation, problem, implication, and need-payoff. These subjects often reveal buyer pain points & challenges and help sellers build rapport with their buyers.

Situation questions aim to understand a prospect's current situation — although reps should still research a call or meeting.

Problem questions get to the heart of the prospect’s issue.

Implication questions probe the prospect to think about the consequences of not solving the problem.

Need-payoff questions prompt the prospect to consider how the situation would change if their problem were solved.

Developed by The Harris Consulting Group, the NEAT qualification framework was designed to replace standbys like BANT (budget, authority, need and timeline) and ANUM (authority, need, urgency and money).

The “N” in N.E.A.T. stands for core needs. Rather than focusing on surface-level pain, the creators of this methodology urge salespeople to go deep into their prospect’s challenges. How will this product matter to them both as an individual and within the context of the organisation?

“E” represents economic impact. Don’t simply present your solution’s ROI — help the buyer understand the financial impact they’re currently on track to realise versus the impact they’ll see if they make a change.

“A” is access to authority. You probably won’t get to speak with the CFO, but can your champion talk to the CFO on your behalf? And more importantly, will they?

“T,” or Timeline, refers to the exciting event forcing your prospect to make a decision. If there aren’t negative consequences to missing this date, it’s not a real deadline.

Conceptual selling is founded on the idea that customers don’t buy a product or a service — they buy the concept of a solution the offering represents. With that in mind, founders Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman urge salespeople not to lead with a pitch — rather, they encourage sales reps to uncover the prospect’s concept of their product and understand their decision process.

SNAP Selling is a sales methodology that aims to bring salespeople to the prospect’s level.

SNAP is an acronym that encompasses four directives for sellers:

Keep it simple

Be i(n)valuable

Always align

Raise priorities

Co-authors Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson started "The Challenger Sale" by asserting that practically every B2B salesperson fits into one of five personas: relationship builders, hard workers, lone wolves, reactive problem solvers, and challengers.

So, what makes challengers so effective at selling? They follow a teach-tailor-take control process.

Teach: First, they teach their prospects — not about the product or service in question, but about more significant business problems, new ideas, and astute observations.

Tailor: Next, they tailor their communications to their prospect.

Take Control: Finally, they control the sale by not being afraid to push back on their customer, focusing more on the end goal than being liked. The Challenger sales methodology strives to impart the wisdom of the challenger to the other four types.

The Sandler methodology states that both parties should be equally invested. If the rep discovers that their solution won’t truly address the potential client's concerns, they won’t waste time convincing them that it does — they’ll simply abandon the process. Rather than the seller convincing the buyer to buy, the buyer is almost convincing the seller to sell.

MEDDIC is a qualification process for complex and enterprise sales. The acronym stands for metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria, decision process, identify pain, and champion.

To find the answers, ask yourself and your prospect:

Metrics: What's the economic impact of the situation?

Economic buyer: Who controls the appropriate budget?

Decision criteria: What are the formal evaluation criteria the organisation is using to pick a vendor?

Decision process: How will the organisation pick a vendor? What are the specific stages?

Identify pain: What are the trigger events and financial consequences of the problem?

Champion: Who is selling on your behalf?

The solution selling approach acknowledges that buyers today are more informed and allows reps to meet prospects where they are. After all, it’s likely prospects have already researched your products and have a solid understanding of the offerings that suit them best.

With solution selling, sales reps identify prospect pain points and offer a customised mix of products to meet their needs.

In essence, there is always more than one method to achieving your goal.