Use this best practice sales process to uncover as a method of sales discovery.
One of the reasons that I and many others I know are attracted to selling as a profession, is the freedom that most sales jobs offer. The idea of my actions being dictated by a sales process, sales method, or a set of rules doesn't sit well in my mind.
Rules are restrictions that many resent, ignore, or break, just because they can. I mean the kind of policies that seem to restrict freedom rather than those that provide a foundation for civilisation.
Some Customer Examples Include:
- “We only buy from those on our approved suppliers' list.”
- “You must speak to a nominated contact and can’t speak with those involved in the decision.”
- “It’s our policy not to divulge budget details”.
Despite having a well-developed dislike for any regulations that seem unnecessary to me, I have three consultative selling 'must do' rules that I do my best to obey so I use them to guide my sales call preparation. These three best practice sales process rules, save me from wasting selling effort. We teach them in many of our training courses.
The Three Sales Call Rules:
1. Make no assumptions
On the surface, this first rule seems like common sense. While this may be so, it isn’t common practice. In a conversation, the first opportunity to make an assumption stems from language. Despite having a common language, people develop their own independent interpretations of the words and phrases they use. For instance, the term, ‘a communication problem’ even in the context of telephone use, could have dozens of meanings.
If you think you know what someone means when they use a particular term, acronym, phrase, or piece of jargon, you are in danger of breaking the first rule.
If you could listen in on a conversation and adopt a devil's advocate perspective, you would find it easy to list the assumptions made when the participants talk about solutions.
People often begin by discussing the product or service that might provide a solution. This presumes a lot about the nature of the problem or opportunity. In many cases, the parties never discuss the real cause for buying something.
Before you laugh and think, “It wouldn't be me falling into this trap”, ask yourself how often you have found it difficult to persuade a manager that your sales forecast was realistic.
It is easy to say, “I’ll make no assumptions” and surprisingly difficult to adhere to the commitment.
In thousands of meetings, training courses, and training simulations, we have observed how difficult it is for a salesperson to avoid assuming they know the underlying reasons for positions or statements.
Even experienced veterans leap to conclusions capable of leading to disastrous results.
To help buyers and sellers minimise the amount of guesswork, we developed a sales process labelled ‘CLEAR’. Before I explain the five ‘CLEAR’ sales process stages, I need to explain the other two rules.
2. Declare your intent to make no assumptions
Agree at the beginning of a meeting to try to eliminate each assumption as the potential occurs. This will double your chances of getting cooperation when you press for a better understanding of a need or requirement.
At the beginning of a meeting, it is easy to gain agreement on this point. No one wants to guess.
It is a trivial thing and easy to forget. If you don’t make a point of doing it and haven't prepared a way to ask smoothly, you are likely to overlook or consciously discard this step.
3. Don't talk about your products, services, or solutions
The third rule is harder to keep than the first.
After all, what are you there to do if it is not to talk about what you have to sell?
Even if you have learnt that a seller’s first need is to understand the circumstances that prompted the interest, most often customers prefer to talk about what they want to buy. It is the easy path. It doesn't involve the pain of considering what isn't known and what must be uncovered to guarantee a good outcome for both buyer and seller.
Once a need has been identified and the value of satisfying it qualified, the remaining sales process steps should prove that what is being sold would deliver the promised results.
At the same time, the buying process is about customers satisfying themselves that what they buy will deliver the desired outcomes.
This rigour is commonly referred to as ‘due diligence’.
It is in the interests of both parties to get this part right. Failure will lead to unpleasant or catastrophic consequences for buyers and sellers alike.
Business-to-business sellers cannot afford unhappy customers. In most cases, buyers will blame suppliers and in particular, the salesperson for performance failure whether deserved or not.
CLEAR is a sales process guide that helps transform an adversarial situation into a collaboration. It is a sales method that adds value for the customer and almost always leads to a better result for both parties.
CLEAR stands for Circumstances, Leverage, Expand, Advantage, and Requirement.
Barriers are often thrown up when the three rules and the CLEAR steps are adhered to. They are the same barriers that arise when using other methods of selling.
1. The buyer won't reveal the underlying reasons for their interest or requirement.
This may be because the person tasked with speaking to potential suppliers doesn’t have all the information. Sometimes the customer thinks that it is not in their interests to tell outsiders. Another reason is a lack of trust in a particular seller or all sellers in general.
2. Buyers will disclose the reasons but can't or won't reveal the extent of the effect on their business.
In many cases, the customer hasn't measured the impact and doesn't have a good assessment of the business value that might result from buying.
3. Buyers won't reveal how much they are willing to spend to get the results they want.
This may be because they don’t know or because they think it is not in their interests to tell the seller. As for No.2, it is common for buyers to involve sellers before they have a clear understanding of the issues they want to address and the results they want to achieve.
4. Buyers won't allow access to those with decision influence.
Sometimes this is an imagined problem arising from a salesperson’s reluctance to go around an established contact or to press for access. Sometimes it is a declared policy designed to protect staff from vendors. In other situations, vulnerable individuals try to prevent access. Reasons include fear of losing control, appearing weak, and exposing previous poor decisions.
5. Buyers are vague about their decision-making process.
Sometimes this is because buying decision-making is ill-defined. Sometimes the person being asked doesn’t know their procedures. Sometimes procedures for a specific decision have yet to be defined. While less common, some buyers think it is in their interests to keep their decision-making approach a secret.
6. Buyers resist attempts to establish a sales process or evaluation agreement.
More often, salespeople either never consider the possibility or think it unnecessary. Once a sale is qualified, agreeing on a step-by-step time-bound process leading to either a yes or no decision, is valuable to both parties.
7. Buyers stop taking calls after the seller delivers the presentation or proposal.
I call this the post-proposal black hole. It doesn’t happen in every situation and being in a post-proposal black hole doesn’t necessarily mean the sale is lost. A firm method of sales discovery or a sales process that includes the agreement of an evaluation plan will usually prevent a post-proposal black hole from forming.
CLEAR Sales Process
The ‘CLEAR’ guide provides solutions for each of these seven obstacles. It defines a sales method that makes a substantial contribution to the customer’s thinking as well as differentiation for the seller. The steps allow the seller to demonstrate integrity. Diligence and discipline in the sales process increase the buyer's trust in a seller and their proposed solution.
Consultative selling is a process that should help customers achieve their objectives. If it does anything else, such as persuade buyers to do things that aren't in their best interests, then the process is broken and all salespeople are suspect. These consultative selling rules and guidelines, raise standards and increase adherence to sales process best practices.
Those who find themselves fighting a broken sales process have an opportunity to repair it. Doing so creates value, sets the vendor apart from competitors, and raises the value of all salespeople.
“All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney said so.
Article by Clive Miller
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If you are looking for a sales process to guide best practices or a sales method to help develop a consultative selling style, get in touch. Telephone +44 (0)1393 851500. We will be pleased to discuss your needs or talk through some options. Alternatively, send an email to custserv@salessense.co.uk or use the contact form here.
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