As an example, let's imagine a B2B SaaS company that sells construction project management software and consider how a salesperson at that company might take a consultative approach with a construction contractor currently building franchises for a regional fast food chain.
Step 1: Research
Before the salesperson can legitimately engage in consultative selling, they gambling data brazil need to know what they’re getting into. So they would need to thoroughly research the company in question to be sure they’re a good fit for the product.
They would look at what projects the contractor had taken on up to that point. If possible, they would gain insight into the solutions they’re currently using – by doing so, they could identify gaps in their project management stack and find out if they’re using a competitor’s product or not.
They would also research the project the contractor is currently working on to see if the type of construction the company is doing could benefit from the type of software the salesperson offers. They might also familiarize themselves with the company’s leadership to ensure they’re talking to the right people.
Ultimately, their conversations with a potential client from an educated and well-prepared standpoint. Consultative selling is all about understanding who you’re talking to – that process starts long before the conversation.
Step 2: Ask questions and listen actively
After connecting with one of the company’s decision-makers and conducting research, the salesperson would continue the consultative sales process by asking thoughtful, targeted questions to expose the prospect’s pain points and even get them to consider issues they hadn’t thought of. They
might ask questions like,
“You’ve built 2 franchises in the last year and a half. Are you working at the pace you’d like?”
“Have communication issues between you and other stakeholders had any impact on your progress?”
“How much of a priority is being able to help manage the build remotely for you?”
“Has quality control been an issue for you?”
Through this stage, the salesperson would actively and attentively listen, considering what the prospect has to say and asking further questions based on the information they offer. By doing so, they can better set the stage for an effective and carefully crafted value proposition.
Step 3: Diagnose the prospect's problems and determine solutions
Once our rep has had their conversation with the fast food chain’s decision-maker, they can begin putting together a well-thought-out solution. Let’s say the prospect’s responses were indicative of issues with project visibility — they’re struggling to keep their projects organized, and as a result, they’re prolonging the build.
In that case, our salesperson would dig into their own product and look at features that could fit that problem. Let’s say the software has features that allow for a complete project overview and the ability for stakeholders to submit tickets with outstanding issues.
Here, the salesperson would put together a value proposition that would provide hard numbers and meaningful solutions related to how efficient their software is at doing the prospect’s operations, along with specific information on how it would work. If project visibility was a major concern, they would likely specifically cite the feature mentioned.
Step 4: Educate the prospect on available solutions
Now that our representative has made progress with the contractor and has a solid understanding of the company’s needs, interests, and circumstances, it’s time for him to present his solutions and hopefully close the deal.
The salesperson would describe why he feels the prospect’s current way of managing projects is hindering their progress. Ideally, he would have some resources to show the prospect how similar companies have seen improvements in this area as a result of leveraging the seller’s product or service.