| It is now believed that to sell effectively, one should not push products but rather engage in “consultative selling.” All salespeople have rushed to study this approach, attending training sessions where they learn to ask the right questions and are trying to apply their new skills.
However, in the phrase “consultative sales,” the key word remains “sales.” No matter what you do or how you consult with the client, you still have to make a sale. All this “consulting” is just another way to look for sales opportunities. The entire conversation between the salesperson and the client boils down to the salesperson constantly searching for a window of opportunity to make a sale. What does a consultant do? A consultant does not look for opportunities to sell. This is a key distinction. A consultant seeks out pain points—sources of problems that they can address. Yes, it may involve the same windows mentioned in the previous paragraph. However, it’s not about…to sell, but about the fact thatresolveПожалуйста, предоставьте текст, который вы хотите перевести. Every client has their own issues. There are always questions that cause them distress. These problems often have multiple layers, and a consultant, rather than a salesperson, is able to dig deep to uncover the root of the issue. If you sell, say, video surveillance systems, in a conversation with a client, after they express concern about the security of their company’s warehouse, you might immediately offer a solution to their problem. However, that’s not the real issue. It’s a sanitized conclusion, an abstract formulation that gets tossed around in meetings. The real problem might be that your interlocutor is personally worried about the fate of their company’s head of security, who is facing losses due to theft and may soon decide to exit the market, laying off everyone, including the head of security, who, after such a “success story,” will struggle to find a new job at all. This is exactly where a consultant differs from a salesperson. The essence lies in the verbs: “to solve” vs. “to sell.” If you say you are engaged in consultative selling, start by removing the word “selling” from your mind. |