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How to Prevent “Unpaid Consulting”
Timely Advice For Today’s Sales Professionals
by Jeff Thull, CEO and President, Prime Resource Group
Your sales professionals have probably encountered this scenario. They are trying to convince a potential customer that their great products or services will solve the customers’ most pressing problem. To prove the point, they explain precisely how their solution will work. Mr. Potential Customer listens carefully, asks many questions and takes copious notes. Everything seems to be running smoothly. The customer nods and says all the right things and they leave convinced that the sale is in the bag. The problem is, when she calls to close the sale, Mr. PC is nowhere to be found. Later, she hears that he has decided to buy from your top (and less expensive) competitor. Frustrated, she finds herself asking, “Where did I go wrong? Why didn’t I see it coming?” She realizes, she has fallen prey to an all-too-common trap: unpaid consulting.
Unpaid consulting starts when sales professionals cross the line between diagnosing the problem and explaining the solution. When they start designing solutions, they start acting as unpaid consultants. In past decades, this was not a monumental issue. Generally, there was limited competition in complex sales. If the salesperson figured out the problem and designed a unique and valuable solution for a customer, the sale was almost guaranteed and the salesperson was rewarded for his consulting effort. Today, there is an ever-increasing proliferation of competitors in complex sales, and once a solution is designed, the customer can easily shop it to the competition.
So, what’s a sales professional to do? How do you help your sales team from falling prey to this trap? In today’s complex business arena there are no simple “band-aid” solutions. What is required is a systemic approach to an environment characterized by long sales cycles, multiple decision makers, and numerous perspectives that may cross national and cultural boundaries.
The following are suggestions you can share with your sales team to help them avoid the pitfalls of using outdated methods.
- Prevent Premature Presentations. How can a salesperson present a solution before he clearly understands what the problems are? While most salespeople devote the majority of their face-to-face time presenting and handling objections, the most successful salespeople focus on collaborating with customers, diagnosing their situation, designing a desired solution, and resolving to solve the problem.
- Don’t Lead The Witness. The traditional salesperson draws conclusions for the customer—often prematurely—and presents them to the customer before he or she is prepared to hear them. It is important to help your sales people understand that the customer needs to discover and takes ownership of the problem before deciding to seek a solution.
- No Pain, No Change, No Sale. Dissatisfaction is the most basic motivator for change. People realize if they don’t change and deal with a problem, they will face consequences. As a result, change will not occur until an individual or company recognizes that it would be more painful not to change. This is why it’s critical to help your sales team understand the importance of doing a thorough diagnosis that uncovers the pain of the current situation, and the lack of the future outcome.
- Go For The “No.” A key to your sales team’s productivity and success is helping them understand that a thorough diagnosis allows them to quickly identify the 20-30% of their prospects who have the immediate reason and resources to make a change. The traditional salesperson wastes time arm-wrestling with a prospect that has no pain and hopes to win the sale by sheer tenacity. This has its roots in the theory that the good salesperson never takes “no” for an answer and the salesperson’s view that “no” equates to personal failure. Help them recognize that a qualified No can increase their productivity and success.
The often-ignored reality is that customers need outside expertise to help them understand the problems they face, design optimal solutions to those problems and implement the solutions. It is up to your sales team to provide the help your customers need. Your sales people need to see themselves as a project manager for their customer’s decision. That is the secret behind succeeding at the complex sale.
About The Author:
Jeff Thull, CEO of Prime Resource Group, is a leading edge sales and marketing strategist. He has designed programs for companies like Shell Global Solutions, Intel, and Georgia-Pacific. Jeff is a compelling keynote speaker and author of best selling books Mastering the Complex Sale and The Prime Solution. http://www.primeresource.com, 1.800.876.0378.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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Be on the Look Out for 2006 SMT Board of Directors Nomination Notices
Playing Cards in Class
Put an Idea on Trial
The Relationship Advantage
Authors: Tom Stevenson and Sam Barcus
Book Review by Stephen J. Bistritz, Ed.D.
2006 SMT Annual Conference
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