Rumors of the death of consultative selling are premature.

(2012年11月12日)

By Michael Leimbach, Ph.D.

If you have been following sales training articles and blogs recently, you would think that the role of salesperson as consultant and trusted advisor is dead. These articles suggest that the ideal salesperson acts as if customers are wrong about their "real" problems and challenges customers about their knowledge and assumptions.

Now, it is true that a sales consultant should challenge a customer’s assumptions or facts when they may be wrong. But the effective consultant understands the difference between customers who need their assumptions challenged and those who are knowledgeable about their needs. While understanding strategy and challenging customers’ assumptions is critical, this is not a “style” of selling that has replaced the role of salesperson as consultant.

Having effective consulting skills is essential for selling today. Sales consultants provide added value by understanding the customer's business, industry, and competitive landscape. They discover how the selling organization can play a strategic role in the customer’s business, are able to communicate credibly with the customer’s senior executives, and push back when the customer makes incorrect assumptions or reaches inaccurate conclusions. Effective sales consultants discern what influences the customer’s buying behaviors, anticipate those needs, and respond strategically. Consultants understand how the customer uses their product or service over time and establish profitable associations between and within the buying and selling organizations. In this context, the salesperson becomes a business consultant, promoting the business objectives of the customer, providing innovative ideas and solutions, and challenging the customer to think differently when needed.

How do you add consultant skills to your sales force? Read how in 3 Strategies for Peak Sales Performance.

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作者介绍

Michael Leimbach

Michael Leimbach博士，担任Wilson Learning全球研究和设计副总裁。Leimbach博士拥有超过25年的专业经验，带领团队进行诊断、学习和绩效提升等方面的研究和设计。他曾带领研究销售、领导力和组织有效性；并制定了Wilson Learning的影响力评估和投资回报模型。Leimbach博士曾为多家全球公司担任研究顾问，曾在ADHR专业杂志担任主辑，并曾在ISO技术委员会TC232担任领导角色 — 制定学习服务供应商的标准。他有四本合著书籍并发表了大量的专业文章，也经常在美国和全球会议中发表演讲。

阅读更多， Michael Leimbach