Phasing in the Consultative Sales Process

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Methodology Includes Multiple Phases

The most popular consultative selling methodologies typically have multiple phases with a clearly defined sequence of activities, sales tools, and deliverables for each. Our own generic process shows how and when different categories of prospect information are gathered. Our generic sales process has eight phases, some of which may have familiar-sounding names:

Target -- Identify prospects that meet target market criteria.
Qualify -- Hold an initial prospect meeting to determine if the prospect meets the minimum marketing criteria e.g., enough revenue, enough employees. In other words, are they qualified to buy from us?
Meet/Greet -- Conduct further meeting(s) to identify critical business issues - key pains, impacts, needs, and goals -- and establish the cost of doing nothing.
Presentation -- Present solutions that resolve the prospect's critical business issues. Then mutually determine the estimated value you can deliver.
Proposal -- Formally propose and present the solution to the prospect, presenting ROI, total cost of ownership (TCO), and potential nonfinancial benefits.
Due Diligence -- Customer evaluates proposal and validates proof points to make an informed buying decision. Check references, case studies, and legal review.
Close -- Negotiations and contract signing.
Post-sales -- Conduct a sales process debriefing (win-loss analysis) and postsales value measurement.

From Why Johnny Can't Sell ... and What to Do About It
© 2006 Michael Nick and Robert Kantin
ACC-000-559

Visit Michael Nick's Website: http://www.roi4sales.com

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