Sales Reps Need to Sell the Why
Providing information. Showing feature and benefits. Cold calling. The old sales process worked…until it didn’t.
In todays marketplace the customer is in more control than ever of information regarding whatever they are looking to purchase. Search engines, social media, content marketing all provide information and guide the customer on their path to purchase. The typical B2B customer has close to 70% of the purchase information they need before your sales reps even engage with them. Old school selling is on the verge of extinction. So how does the modern sales rep need to adapt in order to successfully sell to the modern buyer?
Understand the motivation of the buyer
Today it is more important than ever that sales reps are good listeners and not just good talkers. They need to ask the right questions and take the time to carefully listen to the answers. Consider it a good sales call if the customer ends up doing 70% of the talking. Sales reps must realize that traditional feature / benefit selling and just providing product and service information is a thing of the past. Understanding factors like budget and timeline to the purchase decision are helpful but not nearly enough in today's market.
The Why
Now the key for any good sales rep is to understand the WHY of the sale. They need to understand the motivations of the buyer and what are the underlying reasons that they will purchase the product or service. Is it a defensive purchase where the fear of making a mistake is driving the decision? Or is it an important purchase that can help elevate the buyer's visibility and impact in the organization?
Take time to understand how the purchase will impact your customer's business, or even better yet your customer's customer. If you can get to this level of understanding, you will start to understand the WHY of the purchase and the corresponding motivations behind the it. This will be critical to address and will demonstrate to the customer that you really understand their "needs".
To be a successful sales rep in today's B2B market you need to do more than just communicate your company's value proposition. Showing the customer how that value proposition will impact them and their business will help you win the sale.