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How do you sell with a consultative and value-based approach?

Selling with a consultative and value-based approach means focusing on the customer's needs, goals, challenges, and desired outcomes, rather than on your product features, benefits, or price. It means asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and providing tailored solutions that address the customer's specific pain points and value drivers. It also means building trust, rapport, and credibility with the customer, and positioning yourself as a trusted advisor, not just a salesperson. In this article, you will learn how to sell with a consultative and value-based approach in six steps.

Key takeaways from this article

Thoroughly understand your customer:

Start by researching their industry, company, and role to identify key challenges and goals. This preparation helps you ask insightful questions and offer relevant solutions.### *Show genuine interest:Use active listening techniques like nodding and summarizing to demonstrate engagement. This builds trust and shows that you value their input and needs.

This summary is powered by AI and these experts

1 Step 1: Research your customer

Before you contact your customer, you need to do some homework. Research their industry, company, role, and profile, and try to identify their main challenges, goals, priorities, and preferences. Use sources like their website, social media, news articles, industry reports, and customer reviews. This will help you prepare relevant questions, insights, and solutions for your conversation.

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Odunayo Akinrinde

I help businesses like yours increase engagement and ROI by crafting compelling email campaigns, optimizing sequences, and leveraging data-driven strategies. I turn emails into your most powerful marketing tool.
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Selling with a consultative and value-based approach is all about putting the customer first and building a real connection. Start by truly understanding your customer's needs and challenges. Let them do the talking while you actively listen. It's like tailoring a suit - it's all about the perfect fit! Once you've got the lowdown, present solutions that actually solve their problems. This isn't a one-size-fits-all deal. It's more like finding the perfect puzzle piece.

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2 Step 2: Ask open-ended questions

The initial part of your conversation with your customer should involve asking open-ended questions to investigate their situation, needs, goals, obstacles, and desired results. Open-ended questions are those that cannot be answered with a yes or no and prompt the customer to share more information. You can ask questions such as: What objectives and priorities do you currently have? What are the main hindrances you are experiencing right now? How are you attempting to resolve these impediments? What effects do these challenges have on your business or personal life? What advantages or results do you wish to gain from a solution?

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Sarita Brijesh

Business Consultant-South India & Srilanka @ Juniper Networks | MBA-IIM Calcutta
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Selling with a consultative and value-based approach involves thoroughly understanding your customers' needs, offering tailored solutions that provide real value, actively listening, empathizing, and building trust. By focusing on customer-centricity, open communication, and a commitment to helping them achieve their goals, you can create strong, long-lasting relationships that lead to successful sales and satisfied customers.

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3 Step 3: Listen actively

Asking open-ended questions is not enough; you need to listen actively to your customer. Active listening involves using verbal and non-verbal cues to show interest and engagement, such as nodding, smiling, leaning forward, and making eye contact. Additionally, you can use reflective statements to summarize or paraphrase what the customer has said, and check your understanding. Probing questions can help you gain a deeper understanding of the customer's situation, needs, goals, challenges, and desired outcomes. Finally, affirming statements can acknowledge and validate the customer's feelings, opinions, and experiences. All of these strategies will help you show that you are paying attention, understanding, and empathizing with your customer.

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4 Step 4: Provide tailored solutions

After you have asked open-ended questions and listened actively to your customer, you should have a clear understanding of their situation, needs, goals, challenges, and desired outcomes. To provide tailored solutions that address their specific pain points and value drivers, illustrate how your product or service can help the customer achieve their goals, overcome their challenges, and realize their desired outcomes with concrete examples, case studies, testimonials, or demonstrations. Additionally, emphasize the unique value proposition of your product or service compared to competitors with relevant and meaningful features and benefits. Lastly, align your product or service with the customer's preferences, budget, timeline, and decision criteria by confirming these factors and addressing any objections or concerns that the customer may have.

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Ema Roloff

Digital Strategist | Keynote Speaker | Elevating Leadership in the Digital World
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To me, this step is where the rubber meets the road in a consultative sales approach. This is the moment where you show your expertise and knowledge of their problem. This is where you demonstrate that you have listened and that you have value to bring to the relationship.

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5 Step 5: Confirm value and commitment

Once you have provided tailored solutions, it is important to ensure that the customer sees the value of your product or service and is ready to move forward with the next steps. To do this, you should ask for feedback and check for understanding. Summarize the main benefits and outcomes of your product or service, and link them to the customer's needs, goals, challenges, and desired outcomes. Finally, ask for a commitment or call to action. For example, you could say: "How does that sound to you?", "By choosing our product, you will be able to..." or "Are you ready to sign the contract?"

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6 Step 6: Follow up and nurture

The last step of selling with a consultative and value-based approach is to follow up and nurture your customer until they are ready to buy, or after they have bought. This includes sending a thank you note, summary or proposal after your meeting to reiterate the value and benefits of your product or service. Additionally, it is important to keep in touch with your customer regularly, providing additional information, insights, or value-added content that can help them make a decision or achieve their goals. You should also address any new questions, objections, or concerns that may arise while reinforcing your value proposition and credibility. Don't forget to ask for referrals, testimonials, or reviews from your customer too, as this will help expand your network and reputation.

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Jordan Bignell

Director at Britannia Quickmove
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In my experience, I have found a caring and collaborative approach to nurturing that client and their views is critical in furthering that relationship both with them and other future potential clients. I was always told that ‘people will buy from their friends.’ This idea in itself has certainly driven a large amount of my approach to sales and prospective sales. Following up with a client is critical to getting the feedback you need to develop your sales approach and to better understand where your product or service can be improved. By talking and discussing the potential sale, you build a collaborative and understanding pitch which further convinces your clients of your knowledge and trustworthiness.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you sell with a consultative and value-based approach?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Step 1: Research your customer

2 Step 2: Ask open-ended questions

3 Step 3: Listen actively

4 Step 4: Provide tailored solutions

5 Step 5: Confirm value and commitment

6 Step 6: Follow up and nurture

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sales

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How do you sell with a consultative and value-based approach?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Step 1: Research your customer

2 Step 2: Ask open-ended questions

3 Step 3: Listen actively

4 Step 4: Provide tailored solutions

5 Step 5: Confirm value and commitment

6 Step 6: Follow up and nurture

7 Here’s what else to consider

Sales

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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