Prepare for the revolution! Read this and decide which side you want to be on…
The traditional method of teaching sales skills is one where the role of the sales person is to create an environment in which their product or service is viewed favourably, promoted and ultimately purchased.
The process followed by the traditional and consultative schools of methodology use for the most part a similar approach… there is a strong opening, a product focussed needs analysis, a comprehensive pitch and then an attempt to handle objections, negotiate and close.
In my view this is outdated and increasingly inappropriate behaviour.
The outmoded approach
Picture this .. You need some new tyres for your car so you go to a tyre retailer and what do you find? Lots of tyres, that apart from the tread pattern, look pretty much the same to you (unless you are an expert on tyres). After the usual greeting the standard question to qualify you is likely to be “how much do you want to spend?”
That is the attempt by the seller to decide their course of action and what to sell you. This is usually followed by an attempt to convince you of the merits of the product or service deemed to be best for you. The one that fits your price range or the range they want you in. Is this scenario at all familiar?