The term “sales representative” often carries a negative connotation. The term is reminiscent of traditional (read: outdated) sales tactics: an operator moving swiftly down a call list or a vacuum salesman walking door-to-door. People often assume sales representatives are sneaky, pushy, and dishonest.
For so long, being sold to has been equated with being lied to. Buyers think that sales representatives will do whatever it takes to sell their product or service. To protect their personal and professional interests, B2B buyers have shifted their purchasing processes to independently seek out information about products and services. It’s become increasingly evident that buyers rely less on salespeople during the buying process.
So how can sales representatives dispel people’s negative perceptions of them, remain relevant, and keep their seats at the table?
The answer is simpler than you might think: adopt a consultative sales approach.
Sometimes referred to as solution-based selling, the consultative sales approach is a method that focuses primarily on the buyer’s experience. Instead of bombarding prospects with all the reasons they should buy your product, focus on their needs and act as a guiding light during the purchasing process.
Give Prospects The Information They Need
Since business buyers rely primarily on the internet to gather information about purchase decisions, your website is truly the first touchpoint with customers in a consultative sales approach. It’s important to make sure your website adequately represents the services you’re selling and answers high-level questions that buyers have.
Sixty percent of buyers say they only want to connect with a sales representative after they’ve done research online and have built a shortlist. Give them the chance to do their research; you’ll have less unqualified leads to dig through, and qualified prospects will be delighted that you’ve given them what they need.
Stop Talking and Start Listening
The key to consultative selling is to be a good listener—not just listening to respond, but actually hearing what your prospect is saying. A good consultative sales representative is capable of looking beyond what a prospect identifies as the problem in order to uncover the real problem.
Don’t be afraid to dig deep and ask prospects to elaborate more on their pain points. Ask open-ended questions that start with who, what, when, where, why, and how. Avoid asking questions that start with do, can, are, and will—these tend to yield yes or no answers, which are exactly what you want to avoid in a consultative sales approach.
While most buyers believe they know how to overcome their challenges, this often isn’t the case. You’re the expert, so demonstrate your expertise by helping prospects define the true cause of their problems.
Guide Prospects Through the Buying Process
Throughout the sales process, you should aim to uncover what your prospect’s goals are, the plan they have to reach these goals, the challenges they face, and the timeline they have in mind. As you gather more information from your prospect, your number one goal should be to help them.
The solutions that you offer may or may not be related to your services. This is crucial. By focusing on solving your prospects’ problems no matter what, you send the message that you aren’t just trying to sell them something.
Buying is a gesture of trust, so it’s crucial to establish credibility and confidence with your prospects.
When all’s said and done, a healthy buying and selling relationship is just that — a relationship. It’s about open communication, honesty, and candid advice on how to move forward. Sales representatives can break free of the long-standing negative stereotypes that have labeled them as dishonest and pushy by putting their prospects’ needs before their own, listening carefully, and making thoughtful recommendations.
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