Historically, sellers relied on traditional selling approaches, focusing on a transaction rather than a buyer’s unique needs. But, in today’s complex and competitive market buyers are better informed and less receptive to aggressive sales tactics. Instead, they want meaningful connections and authentic interactions with sellers who genuinely understand their needs. To succeed, sellers need a different set of skills to engage buyers and serve as trusted advisors.
This shift has given rise to a more strategic and customer-centric approach: consultative selling. To excel in this new landscape, reps must focus on building authentic relationships and becoming experts in their industry. In this post, we’ll explore the meaning of consultative selling, the differences between the two approaches, and five key strategies to help hone your skills.
A tale of two techniques: Consultative selling vs. transactional selling
Imagine being a buyer 15 years ago. A seller would pitch a product, show little interest in your needs, and push the buyer to close the deal. Now, fast-forward to today. Buyers want sellers to actively listen to their goals, understand their pain points, and offer tailored solutions. This directly conflicts with the behaviors of sellers past, leading to the rise of consultative selling.
By prioritizing the buyer’s preferences, consultative selling encourages the development of long-term connections and trusted partnerships. There are several advantages of consultative selling, including closing more deals and encouraging an ongoing partnership over time. When sellers make deep connections with customers, buyers seek out their trusted partners again and again when a business need arises.
5 tips to improve consultative selling
Consultative selling isn’t necessarily a skill set that’s in every seller’s repertoire, especially if the seller comes from a more traditional sales background. The good news is that most reps can successfully adapt to this approach if they embrace a learning mindset. Let’s look at five strategies to use:
- Always be empathetic: Empathy begins with putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes, understanding what keeps them up at night and what they dream of accomplishing. Only with true empathy can relationships move beyond transactional interactions. Start by acknowledging the prospect’s feelings, such as frustration with their existing solution or fear about hitting goals at work. Imagine how it must seem from their vantage point, and show genuine interest in their story or experience — the secret sauce to any strong relationship.
- Listen first, ask more questions second: The consultative selling process starts when you have an opportunity to engage with a potential buyer. At this moment, active listening is critical, allowing you to understand their needs and make them feel valued and heard. Then, ask insightful, open-ended questions that encourage buyers to elaborate and share more context. This information can help you later as you anticipate and overcome objections. Prepare for discovery conversations by brainstorming a list of consultative selling questions to ask (If you need help getting started, Hubspot shares 28 question ideas in this resource.).
- Know your products and services: In the world of consultative selling, mastery of your products and services is table stakes. Beyond this, be sure to cultivate expertise in the industry overall so you can speak to the prospect’s pain points in the larger context. Confidently suggesting tailored solutions that solve their challenges allows them to see you as a dependable partner and, ultimately, help you close the deal.
- Guide your buyer to a solution, not a product: Steering your buyer toward a solution rather than promoting a product is core to the strategy of consultative selling. Through active listening, you’ve understood the buyer’s challenges — now, your goal is to empower them with the tools and insights to achieve their goals.
- Practice, practice, practice: Honing your consultative selling skills is an ongoing process that requires dedication, patience, and a willingness to learn. Practice active listening, asking questions, and guiding buyers to solutions. By using a tool like Seismic’s Learning and Coaching technology, sales teams can easily provide consultative selling training that also gives reps a safe space to practice their skills and get feedback to strengthen their expertise.
How sales enablement can help
Sales enablement software is an excellent way to boost sellers’ confidence and preparedness. 79% of respondents in Seismic’s Value of Enablement Report said enablement technology provides quick access to content, information, and coaching — all of which allows reps to prepare to engage with buyers from an informed standpoint. What’s more, 76% indicated that having rapid access to coaching and training content prevents them from second-guessing themselves.
By harnessing the power of sales enablement technology, sellers can bolster their confidence, serve as trusted guides, and pave the way for more productive and successful client relationships. If you’d like to learn more, connect with us to schedule a demo today.
