TIPS SELLING TIP Consultative Concepts


The consultative approach to selling is oriented toward customers, needs, and problems rather than products. The following guidelines will help improve your consul- tative selling skills. • Do research to understand each customer’s needs. The core commitment of the consultative salesperson is to meet the needs or solve important problems for every customer.


• Become your customer’s partner. The consultative salesperson identifies customer needs and focuses on effectively and efficiently meeting those needs – even if that means coming up with a plan with only a small benefit to the salesperson. The important point is build- ing long-term positive relationships. • Help your customers achieve their business objec-


tives. Consultative salespeople believe that, if they’re seen as helping customers meet their business needs and not just as salespeople, they will get the customers’ business. They’re committed to a positive, reciprocal, back-and-forth relationship with their customers. • Provide your customers with the products and services


SELLING TIP How to Develop a Vocabulary That Sells


When skillfully used, words make sales. Skilled salespeople listen for the most effective words and word patterns and use them according to customers’ responses. One pattern or group of sales words won’t stand up indefinitely. By developing a system for adding to your sales vo- cabulary, you increase effectiveness on sales calls. Pay close attention to the words and phrases customers and pros- pects use when they talk about mer- chandise. The ideas these people express are their favorites. There- fore, these words have sales value. Try out new phrases to gauge


their effect on customers. When you obtain good results from a particu- lar group of words, add them to your selling vocabulary.


Never guess at word meanings. If


you’re unsure of your words, don’t use them to sell. When you come across words that sound as though they would be most effective at convincing the customer, check the dictionary (unless you are absolutely certain of the meaning). Practice every new word before using it. Be sure your pronunciation is correct. A selling vocabulary should be easy to understand. Foreign words and phrases may sound cultured but they have small value in selling. Plan phrase and sentence construction with words that readily blend with one another. Such sentence con- struction builds a smoother sound. Steer clear of adapting one set of


words and phrases for all descriptive efforts. The universal selling sen-


tence has yet to be discovered. The customer who hears such words as “stylish,” “gorgeous,” and “glamor- ous” repeated over and over, soon refuses to give them any value. Slow down when you speak. A rapid-fire presentation confuses more customers than it sells. The professional sales situation is never the place for selling with a carnival barker’s zeal. Short words sell better than long ones. They have sharper impact on a prospect’s mind. Slang may be expressive under ordinary circum- stances, but it has little value in selling.


By using these steps to develop


a more effective selling vocabulary, you increase your depth of skill and widen the range of customers you can reach.


– ERNEST W. FAIR


SELLING POWER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 | 5 © 2021 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


that best fit their needs. Consultative salespeople commit to provide their customers with top-notch products and services. They have pride and confidence in their compa- ny and believe their products and services are capable of solving customer problems and meeting customer needs. • Show your customers the full range of your knowl- edge. Consultative salespeople know more than just their products and services. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their products and services versus the competition and how they fit into the customers’ organizations. It means putting the customers’ needs and problems first and your own second.


– WILLIAM F. KENDY VIDEO: SCRATCHPAD: YOUR LAUNCHPAD FOR SALES SUCCESS


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