When we are moving through the sales process, we reach a point where it is time to move from identifying customer needs to considering options for a solution.
By the time we get to this stage in the selling process, both the customer and the seller should have a clear awareness of the customer’s pain point, attitude, and risk concerns. However, the customer cannot take action without a clear vision of the solution and its necessary capabilities.
They also need to sense that they are in control of their choices.
The choices can be overwhelming for the customer at this point. There are so many criteria for a decision: cost, past performance, relationship, compatibility, equipment, schedules, availability…
On what basis should the customer make their judgment?
The customer’s task at this point is to determine which option will provide the most value and the least risk. Our task as consultative sellers is to help them assess the options and make this determination.
Value vs. Risk Analysis
We often have a recommendation in mind that we think is the best one for the customer. However, at this point the customer is not ready for us to recommend a specific solution, and we are probably still missing some crucial information.
What actions are they willing to commit to?
What will it take to convince them that our company is the most reliable supplier?
What might the customer’s reasons be for not selecting a vendor?
What risk or value is sufficiently important to them to justify a higher price for services and products?
Finding answers to these questions requires that we encourage our customer to openly discuss the available options. We must determine which option is most appealing, whether in terms of risks avoided, or in value gained.
This discussion will help the customer look at the situation objectively and logically, and make an informed choice.
We must then extract our customer’s priorities and help them to visualize the values and risks associated with solution options through a value/risk analysis.
Best Practices
1. Offering options for an optimum solution, in an objective manner, strengthens our image as a consultant.
If our customer trusts that we truly aim to help them select an optimum, they are far more likely to listen to our recommendations.
This is why the seller should NOT push a specific product or service at this point, or even their own company. It is far too confusing for customers to decide both what to do and who should do it simultaneously – that requires a level of commitment that they just aren’t ready for.
2. Offer actions as potential solutions, rather than specific products.
This keeps the communication open and unbiased, and allows customers to react freely.
Discuss the actions that the customer can take to solve their problems or meet the needs of their customers. Once an appropriate course of action is determined, they will be ready to consider how to implement it.
3. Understand thoroughly our own company’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of our competitors.
We need to understand our customer’s problems, their customers’ problems, and our customer’s attitudes toward our company and our competitors. This information will be important as we lead our customers through a line of questioning to draw out the pros and cons of each option.
4. Use both open-ended and close-ended questions, as well as “what if” and “suppose that” to propose theoretical actions.
Think of yourself as both interviewer and technical advisor.
Risk can be evoked by questions about the consequences if the customer takes no action: “What if you are not able to improve your efficiency?” “What if management became concerned about how much you were actually losing in delay costs?”
Value is established through proposing a course of action: “If you could change the quality of the solutions you are currently using, would that help your productivity?” “What if you were able to turn the productivity level around at the end of this quarter?”
5. Reiterate the customer’s reactions and feelings toward the actions we have suggested.
Use confirming questions, letting the customer hear and process the values and risks that have surfaced. This encourages buy-in and clarifies the customer’s commitment to a course of action. “You’re saying that to meet your customers’ needs, a quicker, more efficient process is a primary concern. Is that correct?”
Now the customer is prepared for the next step, in which we confirm their readiness to act and recommend a solution that meets their expressed needs.
Baker Communications offers leading edge sales training solutions for sales makers and sales managers that will help you address the goals and achieve the outcomes addressed in this article. For more information about how your organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that will uncover new opportunities, drive revenue, and boost your bottom line, click here.
