As the internet and other fast-emerging technologies continue to make an unprecedented amount of data available to today’s new buyer, traditional sales methodologies are quickly falling by the wayside. Buyers have changed and so must sellers. What’s a salesperson to do? Here are some key points and quotes from my conversation with Linda.
Understand the characteristics of the new empowered buyer:
- Conduct their online research.
- They’ve already advanced far into the buying cycle by the time they engage with sales.
- They’re more risk averse and expect results.
What’s the impact on the salesperson?
- Decreased influence on the buyer.
- Truncated sales time.
- They must be all the more knowledgeable and skilled to convince the buyer of the value they can add to the buying process.
Quote from Forrester Research: “Only 15% of salespeople articulate how their solution is going to solve business problems.”
Linda’s 5 Essential Conversation Changers:
- Futuring
- Heat Mapping
- Value Tracking
- Phrasing
- Linking
Gone are the days of solving product issues. Today it’s about producing business results. Consultative selling is need-based—thus creating the need for a new sales language.
In closing out the session, Linda points out that the most important launching point for change is not a list of “how-tos,” but rather a commitment, intent and desire to be the best. Once you have that established, you can find the how-to that fits. Are you determined and ready to selling more effectively? Watch the entire webinar to learn all the how-tos you need to know!
“It’s not about how to sell, but how to sell differently [emphasis added].” (from Changing the Sales Conversation)
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