Knowledge
Sales techniques: a necessity or a nice extra?
Sales techniques: an introduction
If you have ever tried to sell something in your life, you know that sometimes a sale closes easily and sometimes it does not close at all. Skepticism and putting off the moment of decision lie in the nature of every buyer. It is definitely better if closing the sale comes smoothly for us. It is worth making sure, however, that this is not a matter of chance, but a repeatable and conscious thing. Of course, selling in a fully natural way, without knowing sales techniques, is possible and you can definitely win clients that way. But what if you want your company’s effectiveness not to be a matter of chance, and a potential client to turn into an actual client in a repeatable way?
This is where sales techniquescome to the rescue. Applying them skillfully and consistently, based on a well-developed sales process , almost guarantees winning clients regularly (not all of them, of course). Especially when you want your organization to keep growing and to operate in sales terms also without your personal involvement.
Without sales techniques it will be hard to convince the client and bring about closing the deal in a repeatable way. Fortunately, sales practice has already worked out how effective B2B sales in technology companies.
Sales techniques versus sales methodology
When thinking about sales techniques we most often mean clever selling methods that will let us exert greater influence on a potential client. Yes, there are interesting techniques and tactics that sometimes work “magically”. But sales techniques alone will not make sales repeatable and scalable. For that you also need a sales process and a methodology or sales system that will fill the sales process with content and ensure repeatability.
If we were to compare effective sales techniques, sales process , methodology and sales system to cooking, then:
- Sales techniques would be the spices
- Sales methodology would be the way of treating the individual ingredients of the dish
- Sales process would be the sequence of processing and the activities taking place in parallel and one after another
- B2B sales system would be the kitchen
So at home you can cook with imagination, throwing various ingredients into pots and experimenting with spices, and prepare a delicious dish (win a client). If, however, you are thinking about scaling the company, you have to act more in terms of a Michelin-starred restaurant. You have to know sales techniques, rely on a proven sales system and proceed by process in a way that guarantees the same result every time (win clients at scale).
The free ebook “10 B2B sales tactics” (PDF, in Polish) is available on the Polish version of this article.
Sales technique and sales method
For the purposes of this text we will treat sales techniques interchangeably with sales methods, because they are quite close to each other. A sales method will differ from a sales technique mainly in its level of complexity. We conventionally treat a sales technique as something small, meant to accomplish a specific task (e.g. arousing the interest of the person on the other end during the first 5 seconds of a cold call), and a sales method as a sequence of sales techniques and tactics aimed at carrying out a specific stage or stages of the sales process.
The best-known sales techniques
There are several hundred sales methodologies and systems in the world. Many books have been written about them, research has been conducted and the most effective direct sales techniques used by salespeople have been analyzed.
Many of them are based on similar assumptions, and the differences are sometimes subtle. Such as, for example, one methodology’s assumption that the decision process relies on a single decision-maker, versus the assumption in another methodology that we are dealing with a group of decision-makers. Methodologies evolve over time, are adapted to specific realities and the changing expectations of clients. If someone claims to know the only right and always effective sales technique or methodology, it is worth taking such declarations with a grain of salt.
Even the most popular or one of the oldest sales methods should be adapted to the specific situation of a given organization. The type of product or service, customer segments, the available direct sales options and the business model have to be taken into account. Most importantly, it should be based on a well-thought-out sales process that is effective for the given company.
Although there are hundreds of techniques and approaches to selling and new ones keep appearing (e.g. our SalesMachine System), a dozen or so of them have become more popular over recent years. We will take the liberty of briefly characterizing some of them here and updating this post with more over time.
Customer Centric Selling
This way of selling focuses on the client’s challenges, goals and convenience. The goal is to become a competent, trusted advisor to the client. Customer-centric selling (CCS) concentrates on defining and implementing a repeatable and scalable sales process driven by the buyer.
Instead of giving presentations, a good salesperson focuses on how to match products to the client’s needs in a conversational way that is open to clients.
The process and sales activities are adapted to the client’s schedule, goals and situation.
SPIN Selling
SPIN Selling is a direct sales technique that systematizes asking questions divided into four main groups:
Situation: What is the potential client’s current situation as far as your solution is concerned?
Problem: How does this situation cause the client pain?
Implication: What effects result from this pain? What will the client’s situation be if the problem is not solved? What pains will the client continue to suffer?
Need-payoff: What will happen when the problem is solved? At this stage we hope that the client will reach the right conclusions about the solution we propose on their own.
It is a technique that particularly highlights how important open questions in sales.
N.E.A.T. Selling
This is a sales technique that constitutes a qualification framework, which in its premise was meant to replace the old B.A.N.T. model (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
“N”/Need in N.E.A.T. means core needs. Instead of focusing on superficial pain, the creators of this methodology encourage salespeople to dig into the prospects’ challenges. What significance will this product have for them both as individuals and in the context of the organization?
“E” is Economic impact. Do not simply present the client with the return on investment from your solution. Help them understand what results are within their reach now and what they will be when they choose your offer.
“A” is Access to authority. We are talking about the decision-maker. You may not manage to talk to the CEO right away, but perhaps at least the person you are talking to will be able to acquaint them with what the offer looks like.
“T” as timeline, or a specific time to make the decision. If you do not tie your offer to a specific deadline by which it should be chosen, you have not really made a binding offer.
Sandler System
While selling has historically revolved around the idea that potential buyers should be chased and persuaded by sellers, the Sandler methodology says that both sides should be equally interested in reaching an agreement and starting cooperation.
The priority is building mutual trust between the two sides. Instead of behaving like a typical salesperson, sellers act as advisors and ask questions to identify the challenges on the client’s side and to qualify them properly.
If the salesperson discovers that their solution will not really solve the potential client’s problems, they will not waste time persuading them; they will simply withdraw from the process.
Instead of the seller persuading the buyer to buy, the buying client almost persuades the seller to sell.
Solution Selling
Instead of selling specific products, salespeople use a potential solution to sell the benefits that the solution can provide to the potential client.
Thanks to solution selling, sales representatives identify the client’s problems and needs and offer a mix of products tailored to them.
Target Account Selling
This is a sales technique, or more of a premise, that draws the salesperson’s particular attention to the right choice of potential client. You should focus your efforts on building the right list of potential clients who will fit our ideal customer profile as closely as possible and will be nothing short of the dream buyer persona.
This technique therefore focuses on putting the quality of leads above their quantity. We make the assumption here that a well-profiled and qualified lead should almost “by itself” decide to buy your product. Prospecting perceived this way gives, by design, a higher conversion level at the beginning of the sales process and higher final effectiveness.
Challenger Sale
The sales techniques contained in the “Challenger” sales model are based on a sales process that focuses on teaching the client and taking control of their buying experience. A salesperson using the challenger sales method deliberately questions their clients’ way of thinking and forces them to consider a new perspective. This heightens the tension in the relationship with the client and makes them think more intensely about solving the problem that affects them.
The challenger method consists in drawing the client’s attention to deep issues that matter in their business, which the client may not have been aware of until now. You should particularly highlight those aspects that your company’s solution addresses especially well.
Sales techniques: summary
There are hundreds of sales techniques, if not thousands. Certainly many of them will make a potential client become a real one. Techniques skillfully applied in contact with a potential client can significantly help clients make buying decisions and increase sales.
| If you want to build repeatable, measurable and scalable B2B sales in your company, read more about our B2B sales system SalesMachine |
