Life is busy. The modern world bombards us with eye-watering levels of information and data 24-7, but unless you’re blessed with a photographic memory, it’s unlikely that you’re able to readily recall it all, or even recall the appropriate snippets of information at the necessary points in time.
alongside the M4 where an army of resellers is manufactured to possess genius levels of memory, limitless amounts of enthusiasm for the products they’re entrusted to sell, or even a magic source of time in which to secure that sale before moving on to the next. Or at least if there is, I’m yet to hear of it….
No, the reality is that the tens of thousands of resellers both here in the UK, and elsewhere around the world, are just normal people like you and me. Busy people, under immense pressure to secure a sale, whilst simultaneously juggling a vast number of similar yet different products from a myriad of vendors. The mere thought of it is quite mind-boggling.
And with no disrespect to any reseller, this ultimate juggling act results in a lack of time and inclination to commit 100% to each and every sales conversation they’re involved in.
But sales are what they’re charged with securing. Indeed, those sales often influence their income. It’s, therefore, in both the vendor’s and the reseller’s best interests to ensure a successful sale, but without brainwashing on an industrial level to instil all the necessary information that supports just a single sale, let alone multiple sales, what are the options for successfully achieving this?
Technology! In fact, guided selling powered by technology.
Our lives, both personal and professional, are increasingly supported by greater levels of technological input and guidance, so it would make sense for the reseller community to lean on this too. Indeed, research from LinkedIn (2021) highlighted that 58% of sales people believe that sales technology IS important in closing a deal, whilst a further 38% stated it as being VERY important.
Why, then, on average are only 36% of such salespeople actually utilising such technology?
I don’t doubt that there’s a certain level of ignorance at play here. Ignorance around the ROI that can be secured by such an investment, but ignorance too on what that ROI actually looks like and the value it delivers.
Value isn’t solely about price.
Value is about instilling confidence in the customer that you not only know and understand the technical specifications of the devices being discussed, but that you can effectively demonstrate to them the benefit it will bring to their business. Not only this, but also that you also appreciate the pressures that they’re under, the pinch points that they’re experiencing and that you can effectively recommend further devices or services that will help address these.
This is value. It builds trust and drives lasting relationships.
When technology is used to support and inform a guided selling approach to the sales process, the benefits are experienced all round: vendors maintain a level of control over the messages conveyed around their products; resellers are empowered with an arsenal of knowledge that would be nigh on impossible to gain through simple product research and repeated practising of their sales pitch; and the end customer receives a personalised purchasing experience comprised of a branded pdf that details their ‘value assessment’ which can easily be shared with colleagues. This increases their trust in the both the product/service, as well as in the salesperson. It’s a win:win – what’s not to love?
In fact, there’s plenty more to love.
Sure, guided selling increases the potential for value-added cross-selling; it equips the entire salesforce with the means and confidence to sell in a value-driven way; and it provides the customer with a trusted source of tech intelligence that lessens their need to ‘shop around’. In doing so, it drives a level of efficiency in the sales journey that is impossible without it.
If you think I’m bullish in my assertions here, you’d be right. I am, and justifiably so! Consenna has worked with some of the world’s largest OEMs to optimise their guided selling tools. We’ve listened to vendors and resellers; we’ve sought to understand the pressures they’re under, and we’ve utilised those learnings to create solutions that drives sales, promote efficiency and which, significantly, deliver value for all involved.
So, if you’re intrigued by what guided selling could do for your business, you know what to do. And if you don’t, let me guide you through this:
- Open your email client
- Enter paul.thompson@consenna.com in the ‘to’ field
- Enter “Guided Selling” in the subject field
- In the body of the email write “Ok Paul, tell me how guided selling will improve my sales’ team’s ability to increase sales, drive value and strengthen long-lasting customer relationships.”
I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
