Taking a structured selling approach

Being structured in your selling approach means you are more likely to succeed in the sell. Why? Because following a structure means you can control the narrative, are prepared for challenges or barriers, and can take control of the selling meeting.

Buyers are VERY experienced buyers. Frankly ‘winging it’ just won’t cut it. Consider that on average, we may get to meet our buyers monthly for an hour. That is 12 meetings a year. A buyer, who roughly see’s 5 or so suppliers A DAY is more experienced by his or her first Wednesday than a sales person is after 12 months! (They have around 1500 buyers meetings a year!) Therefore as sales people we need to plan and prepare and think of all eventualities.

There are many clear steps or actions a sales person should take before the call/meeting, during and post the call. It may sound obvious, but rather surprisingly, we find that many forget to even consider what the objective of their sales meeting is prior to the meeting. By setting a SMARTER objective (find out what SMARTER means HERE), you can be clear as to what you want to achieve and therefore plan the how you are going to achieve it. Likewise, during the call, many forget to ask suitable open and closed questions, and don’t always pay attention to, or respond correctly to the answer! Others don’t follow up post the meeting either, meaning actions are forgotten.

Taking simple structured steps, really does make all the difference; as you are more likely to have more successes. The structure however, needs to be the right one. One that is simple to follow, is logical, intuitive, memorable and fit for purpose. There are many ‘off the shelf’ selling processes out there, but ensure your framework is right for your business, brands, people and customers.

It is also really important to remember to not only educate your sales team to follow the structure, but to also engage with your teams to ensure they know why they should do it. By understanding the benefits, being trained in the process and having easy access to supporting materials, it will become a natural approach for your sales team; therefore resulting in a consistent approach with better outcomes and wins.

At Pure Blue Ocean, we have a tried and tested selling framework and engagement programme that we adapt based on our clients, (or their customer’s) needs and product portfolio. If you would like to find out more please contact us at help@pureblueocean.com