Looking at moving your prospects’ view of you from a sales nuisance to a sales asset? Here are three stages that are key to transitioning a sales conversation from just an interesting opportunity to prospective sale:
1. Connecting with your customer.
2. Seeing the conversation shift.
3. Driving to a mutually beneficial plan.
With these stages met, a prospect no longer sees you as a nuisance or salesperson, but as an asset or trusted partner. All of these stages revolve around one core and fundamental principal – demonstrating business value. There are lots of different terms used to describe this pivotal stage of the sales process like vision lock, value capture, issue match, etc. They all mean the same thing – making a connection with the prospect so that the conversation shifts and both parties become laser-focused on building out a mutually beneficial plan.
Connect With Your Customer
There are many different ways that an individual could interpret this phrase. You might think that this is the initial meeting or the initial outreach. But, I’m focusing on a different stage of the sales cycle – when there is true synergy between the salesperson and the potential client. The ability for the salesperson to get on the same side of the table and make him/her feel as if that there is a true understanding of their unique challenges. This is the point where the prospect sees the salesperson as someone that could add value to the team. The salesperson evolves into a trusted advisor.
What factors shift the conversation into a connection? They are:
- The value and impact of the product that is being sold.
- The personality and knowledge base of the salesperson.
- The willingness of the prospect to take on something and be transformational.Â
Conversation Shift
As a sales professional, this is the moment that makes you want to come back for more. When you see a prospective client significantly change the way they’re interacting with you, when the prospect accepts what you’ve been telling them all along – that’s when the conversation has shifted. You’re now officially in line with the needs of the prospect; the business drivers of the prospect match the business value delivered by the salesperson.
Mutually Aligned Benefits
Now that the connection has been made, the conversation has shifted, and you’ve solidified that the established benefits are two sided, you need a plan of execution. Without a plan, the sale could stall or completely dissolve. When vision lock is accomplished, both parties quickly need to formulate a plan of action or the salesperson risks losing the sale. The plan also ensures that the business drivers identified during the sales process are properly addressed once the project/product goes live.
In many businesses, people want to add clear value to their organization. Most salespeople want to find prospective clients that want/need a product that delivers substantial impact. The joy of sales is finding the ideal situation where you can accomplish both and deliver true business value.
What are some of the challenges you have faced when trying to define yourself as a valuable partner or sales asset with a prospect? Share your story with us in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading!
Comments are closed.