Chapter 5: Adopting a Consultative Selling Approach

Overview

“Today I have to listen harder. I no longer ‘show up and throw up.’ Telling the customer everything I know about my company does not convince them that we are a better supplier. I listen to their goals, their problems, and then work with them to develop a solution to those problems. I am responsible for building trust, for adding value.”
—Sales Associate

Another strategy that we heard repeatedly from participant organizations in our study was the adoption of (or a reemphasis on) a consultative selling approach. This is reflective of the salesperson’s key role as “being the face” of the organization. As overall corporate strategies and marketing strategies have become more value-based and customer-centric, this philosophy must be represented in each interaction held with customers. As such, a consultative sales approach can be central to creating the desired defining moments with customers. On the surface, this may not seem particularly innovative—after all, most organizations have been talking about consultative selling in some form for at least a decade. What is interesting is that few organizations would claim to have executed on this strategy to the degree sought. In fact, not only are organizations reexamining their use of consultative selling, the approach was held up as the baseline, regardless of industry, geography, or target market. This means that while the transactional sales model will continue to have a place in many sales organizations, it has become a less common use of face-to-face and inside sales channels. What has become the more pressing concern is creating a sales force that understands consultative selling and that can make decisions as to what extent it should be used.

So, what does consultative selling mean and why, after ten years of talking about it, do organizations still think it’s worth the considerable effort required? This chapter will explore the answers to these two very important questions.