Business Development – Making Sales
“Your selling skills have to be better than your core
skills, or you won't get the chance to prove you have good
core skills!”
Summary
Our advice on selling skills covers the theory and
practical aspects of selling for professional people. We
show clients how to maximise selling effectiveness by
following a tried and tested method for developing prospects
more quickly and more easily into customers, then into the
most loyal client category, that of “long-term trusted
adviser status”. It is an approach which professional people
are comfortable putting into practice over the rest of their
careers, so maximising their client base and revenues over
time.
Background
In the past, most professional people did not feel the
need to sell; they relied on their professional training and
current expert abilities to attract customers and clients.
They did not go into their marketplace to find clients for
themselves. Those old markets have all but ceased to exist
now, with clients switching their investment banking,
stockbroking, accounting, legal, advertising, PR advisers
and other suppliers with alarming regularity.
Changing Your Style
Other professional people have had sales experience as a
secondary role to providing the service for which have
trained. They may want to change from product to
consultative selling techniques, from selling products to
selling services, from features to benefits. We show them
how to understand client needs better, how to differentiate
themselves from the competition, and how to prioritise their
time and selling efforts for maximum effectiveness.
New Business Pitches
Many clients have asked for advice on their business
pitches or 'beauty parades', where a number of teams from
short-listed potential advisers or suppliers pitch in
sequence. We help these teams to improve radically their
chance of success in a number of areas including. Understanding how to avoid elimination; where the areas
truly are for differentiation; how to work best as a team;
and increasing persuasiveness.
Topics
We advise clients on the right approach to selling in
theory, with practical exercises and tips on how to avoid
the usual barriers of objections, resistance and doubt. We
explain why it is usually the sales person who puts up those
barriers, and we dispel the myth of the 'close'. We examine
closely the ‘Business Development Diamond’ We explain the
sales development process, from 'suspect' through prospect
to customer and client. Most sales advisers stop there. We
show you how to create long-term trusted adviser status
clients, the ultimate client type. |