Based on HubSpot research, only 3% of buyers trust sales representatives. If your sales process follows the cookie-cutter pattern of simply selling a product or service, the chances of you reversing that statistic are slim to none.
If you follow the formulated Sales Accelerator process, you know how important it is to execute the steps in correct order. During Discover, sellers uncovered prospect’s desired business results. The next step is to Advise the prospect on the best solution path, and that starts by determining which solution path is right for the situation.
This is the step where sellers learn how to differentiate themselves and prove to potential clients how they can make their life easier. From determining a solution path to removing surprises and handling objections, there are several points you don’t want your salespeople to overlook.
Determine the Best Solutions
At this point in the sales process, sellers should be able to Identify an ideal prospect, Connect with them, and Discover a desired business result they want or need help with. The fourth step, Advise —also referred to as “Solve” or “Create” — focuses on creating the best solutions to deliver the desired business results and then advising the client to proceed with the solution.
Many sales systems imply that you go directly from the needs analysis to the presentation. At CSS, we’ve found that the Advise step is most effective when it keeps the prospect involved in the process of determining the best solution.
“Don’t hope or assume the prospect will connect the dots between their business needs and your recommended solution,” advises Dean Moothart, Director of Client Solutions. “Sellers must be deliberate. Keep reminding them of what their trying to accomplish and show them how your solution provides a roadmap to their desired results.”
Solution Patterns to Help Determine the Best Solution
Oftentimes salespeople overcomplicate the sales process by trying to develop a new solution to every situation. But that isn’t always necessary! There are three solution paths to consider when searching for the best solution, and each path involves the seller working with the prospect to ensure their interest in the solution and to agree on how to measure success:
- Their Strong Idea
- Your Existing Solution
- Brainstorm New Solution
It’s vital that sellers remember to focus on solutions that will help prospects achieve their desired business results. If the proposal is more about the product than it is about the solution, their idea is likely stall and move slow. Focusing on the solution that helps them to achieve the results they need will speed up the sale.
Remove Surprises
Once sellers have a tailored plan they are confident in, they want to remove all surprises so that the deal closes and they can start delivering results. “Before presenting solutions, make sure sellers are ready,” advises Senior Coach Alysa Hinshaw, “Ask questions like, are there potential surprises that could come up while presenting ideas or do you feel you have discussed most objections in advance? It’s tempting to rush the process, but it’s important to reiterate that slowing down can speed up the sale.”
If you rush to deliver the proposal only to wait weeks for an answer, was it worth rushing the proposal? By involving the prospect every step of the way and weaving the buying and selling together to eliminate surprises, sellers have the opportunity to uncover concerns at a stage where they can still address them.
Anticipate Additional Objections
A major surprise to remove is price. In our Advise courses, salespeople learn when and how to talk about price, and discover three effective ways to prompt the conversation about price.
At this point, sellers have learned about the need to align expectations with the prospect and listen for objections along the way—handling each one as it comes. However, even when being intentional about removing surprises and being skilled at talking about price, objections are likely to still arise.
We share nine common objections that are most important to overcome and the responses that get back to desired business results. Don’t look at objections as a bad thing; this is a great opportunity to gain insight into their thought process and any concerns they may have initially withheld.
Stay tuned as we continue our Coaching the Sales Process series and gather tips from our experts on things you don’t want your salespeople to overlook when going through the Sales Accelerator sales process.
Follow the Series:
Step 1: Coaching the Sales Process: Overlooked Points in the IDENTIFY Step
Step 2: Coaching the Sales Process: Overlooked Points in the CONNECT Step
Step 3: Coaching the Sales Process: Overlooked Points in the DISCOVER Step
