| The difficulty in this tactic is in continuing after the | | | | where their products are used and to the people |
| start, searching for a problem or opportunity that | | | | who use them. Fifth, you have an opportunity for |
| may not exist. In some ways, this step in the | | | | continual learning about your accounts' |
| consultative selling strategy is like prospecting for | | | | operations. Consequently, you bring a special focus to |
| gold with no guarantee of a tangible reward for the | | | | bear on that department every time you visit it. |
| effort and certainly no payback in the short term. | | | | Sixth, and most important, you have the selling skills |
| The objective of the first step is to find a potential | | | | to cut through the bureaucracy and sell the concept |
| opportunity or problem, not to solve it. | | | | at different levels in the account organization. |
| The consultative salesperson is a problem solver in | | | | For example, a salesperson selling packaging |
| search of opportunities. This takes time and | | | | machinery should know or learn a great deal about |
| continuity; it must be developed into a routine | | | | production: cycle time, just-in-time inventory, |
| investigation each time the salesperson visits the | | | | statistical process control, and so on. Similarly, a |
| customer headquarters or facilities. You may | | | | grocery-products salesperson knows the ins |
| have to stretch your search beyond your | | | | and outs of the retail-food chain: ROS (return |
| decision-maker's facility and visit operations where | | | | on space), traffic flow patterns, pricing, category |
| your products are stored and used. Extra time is not | | | | management, and so forth. A banker certainly knows |
| required, but consistent observation, probing, and | | | | cash flow, asset management, how to leverage |
| learning are musts for every sales call. | | | | financing, and more. |
| You may ask: "Why is a salesperson better qualified | | | | At this professional level you can put the knowledge |
| to solve problems than the account's own | | | | to work to enhance the customer's profit: |
| staff?" First, an outsider can be more objective | | | | increased sales and more efficient operating costs. |
| and can provide a fresh, unbiased, nonpolitical view of | | | | Every customer has a myriad of problems, |
| operations. Second, you possess specific expertise to | | | | inefficiencies, and unfulfilled goals, and each one |
| focus on the problem or opportunity: application | | | | needs expert help. Since few salespeople |
| knowledge as well as familiarity with the arena where | | | | instinctively do consultative selling you need a |
| the product or service is used (production, office, | | | | strategy to make the process second nature. While |
| warehouse, finance, retail/distributor outlet). | | | | most salespeople are occasionally presented |
| Third, you should be more motivated to capitalize on | | | | with consultative opportunities, the consultative selling |
| the opportunity than the account employee. Fourth, | | | | strategy has more impact if you proactively use it |
| most salespeople have or can gain access to areas | | | | and search for opportunities. |