So Why Bother Now?


Having established that consultative selling is a skill-, knowledge-, and resource-intensive process, as well as an elusive and moving target, the question becomes, why are organizations still chasing this strategy? The answer lies in the need for long-term perspective. There are different kinds of market conditions that impact sales organizations. Some, such as economic factors, tend to be cyclical and thus short-term in nature. Underlying these is a series of long-term circumstances that, although showcased or masked by cyclical conditions, are by no means temporary.

This is well illustrated by the 2001 recession and the slowdown that followed. Although market challenges, customer demands, and competitive pressures had been growing for a long time, they were somewhat hidden or at least countered by market conditions of economic prosperity. When the cycle reversed, severe budget cutbacks accompanying the economic downturn put the spotlight on these factors. By that time, many organizations were playing catch-up. As a result, the overwhelming feeling among sales organizations today is that the factors that make sales an increasingly complex process are here to stay. Even as economic growth returns, the need to address these challenges will remain. Organizations must be willing to make the investment in consultative selling if they are going to reap the benefits. Noted one top performer, “If you ‘go consultant,’ you could be adding two to three months to the sales cycle. Of course, you also could be adding all kinds of revenue.”




Strategies That Win Sales. Best Practices of the World's Leading Organizations
Strategies That Win Sales: Best Practices of the Worlds Leading Organizations
ISBN: 0793188601
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 98

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