The impact of the Internet and ever-present technology on the workplace has been well documented. With much of the world’s knowledge — along with many things not at all knowledgeable — at our finger tips, the way different jobs are performed evolves. Just as we are no longer dependent on our local garden center to tell us which plants need the most sunlight, we are no longer reliant on salespeople to give us the scoop on which product is the best fit.
An Eloqua whitepaper on sales enablement points out that salespeople are actually left out of many sales opportunities. It quotes a study by SiriusDecisions estimating that the buyer’s journey is 70% complete by the time a salesperson is contacted.
So if product-based selling, which highlights features, functionality, and benefits, is no longer effective, what is the role for today’s salesperson? Sales expert Jack Keenan says salespeople must understand their customers’ needs and wants in ways different than the customer himself understands them, and then transform that insight into deliverable value.
Keenan’s Selling Beyond the Product model identifies six steps to selling and delivering value. These steps cover the process of Engaging, Listen and Learn Discovery, Guided Discovery, Confirming, Recommending, and Committing. Together they establish a new — and valuable — role for the salesperson.
TRACOM’s Dr. Casey Mulqueen and Keenan have written a new whitepaper that explains how combining the Selling Beyond the Product approach with SOCIAL STYLE improves the sales experience for the customer and results in greater success for the salesperson.
SOCIAL STYLE & Selling Beyond the Product is the latest whitepaper in the SOCIAL STYLE Connections series. These whitepaper look at how SOCIAL STYLE complements and supports other popular workplace programs and leadership models. Other papers include SPIN Selling, Situational Leadership, Crucial Conversations and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
