Sales + Science = Results
David Rich
An experienced Business Administration professional that has skills and experience in Business Analysis, Data Analytics and Reporting and Project Management.
Have you ever thought sales was a science or do you believe that sales is just a result of having a good product range and a hardworking sales team?
Well in reality it more about the science rather than the product range or a hardworking sales team. How can this be you ask? Well over the last 20 years the increased competitive business environment has led to the sales process becoming less about conventional transactional sales selling and more about solution selling and more about high value pay off activities vs low value pay off activities. The difference is all in the sales process and how the message is conveyed to the customer.
Now you are probably reading this thinking my product/s are already offering a solution to my customers - but keep in mind this is not wholly and soley solution based selling as there are other factors to take in to account such as:
- Understanding that solution selling is not just about the solution your product/s offers,
- It also requires your sales team to have a clear unique sales proposition about your business that is less sales transactional in nature but more focuses on what business outcomes your business can offer and asking the customer's permission to get an understanding of their business.
- Once you have the customer's permission and attention and knowledge of their business, you then can determine if you have a product or service to suit their needs.
Over my many years in sales I have spoken with existing and prospective customers who throw you the common sales objections right up front like I'm happy with my existing supplier, just send me your price list or you are no different to my existing supplier and that is before I even get to the part of introducing myself.
More than likely these people have been conditioned to think like this because of the common nature of transactional selling still been undertaken by a large number of sales representatives in the marketplace. This is not to say these sales people are lazy, it is rather that they have not been given the correct tools to effectively communicate using a solutions based approach to selling.
The crux of solution selling is not to actually sell anything on the first call or visit and to state this upfront. More times than not you will find that your customer will feel more relaxed and allow you to enter in a more in depth discussion about their business, giving you the chance to qualify them and determine if you can provide a solution, book an appointment or even close the sale right there and then.
This is only the beginning of the solution based sales process and for this to be successful, you need a suitably qualified sales support team that can provide you with the necessary insights, research and analytics to support this. By doing this it will assist your sales team to be adequately prepared to offer exiting and prospective customers a clear choice of who they feel is more experienced to provide them with the best solution in comparison to not only their incumbant supplier but that of your other competitors.
A little about myself - I have over 10+ years experience in sales, business development and administration roles and are actively seeking a new employment opportunity.
To find out more about how I can achieve this for your business - please do contact me on 0402 279 621 or send me a message
Let's talk!
Kind Regards, David Rich