Doug DavidoffThe second opportunity for salespeople to create value is what we call The Design Phase. In The Design Phase the salesperson enables the buyer to identify and understand a solution the buyer didn’t know was available. This sounds a lot like “consultative selling,” and it is what consultative selling is supposed to be. Consultative selling in practice, however, rarely lives up to its billing.
The salesperson cannot play the role of peddler. The salesperson needs to forget about what they are selling and focus on helping buyers identify what really solves their problems. The salesperson also needs to help the buyer understand what has to happen to implement the solution effectively - the good and the bad.
When a buyer views you, or your salespeople, as resources, you are creating value – something people would be willing to pay for. We’ve even had clients who, after taking this approach, found there was more profit to be made helping buyers understand solutions than there was in selling the actual products.
In any case, when buyers get something they would pay for from the sales calls people in your company make that's creating value, and it means you are well on your way to faster, more profitable growth.