5 consultative sales techniques for B2B businesses

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The main difference between consultative selling and traditional sales techniques is that in the former the seller also acts as a consultant, trying to find the best possible solution for the client according to their needs.

For this very reason, consultative selling has acquired a fundamental role in B2B businesses, allowing the entire prospecting process to be more effective and transparent, which translates into longer-lasting relationships with our qualified prospects.

However, in order to correctly implement a strategy of this type, it is essential to know some basic consultative sales techniques . Let's look at some of the most important ones below.

5 techniques for B2B consultative sales
1. Investigate the client's needs beforehand
Every time we meet with our clients, we should do so having done rcs data lebanon research into their brand and the solutions they offer to their own customers. This is necessary so that, at the time of the meeting, we are able to offer a more coherent and relevant perspective for them.

Arriving with this prior knowledge will make us look more professional. We will also be able to optimize both our clients' time and our own, moving directly to more inquisitive and specific questions regarding their needs. Additionally, prior research can position us higher than our competition, which can immediately represent a value proposition .

2. Listen calmly
One of the most important consultative sales techniques has to do with a rather passive act: listening. The secret to a more personalized sale is to offer solutions designed for the specific needs of each client, for which it is essential to be able to take the time to listen to them. What do they feel? How has it hurt them not to have the solution they seek from us? What expectations do they have?

This first stage is essential to absorb information. During this phase, we will be forming a coherent theoretical framework in our mind, so that we can communicate the ideas of the following techniques more assertively . Of course, we must remember that we are not robots, and that we can always enrich meetings with non-verbal language, making it clear that we are there for them.

3. Finding a balance between questions and perspective
The key is to understand the customer's pain points . With this in mind, it's reasonable to assume that we should ask as many questions as necessary. But be careful! If we ask a dozen questions, but are unable to provide valuable feedback and perspective (i.e., provide insight into possible solutions), then we will be perceived as inexperienced on the subject.

When doing B2B sales, you want to aim for a balance between questions and a professional perspective . For example, if your client needs a software solution and tells you that one of their pain points is automation, it might be wise to organically steer the conversation toward how your company’s solution has helped our customers in a certain way.

4. Take control of the conversation
We have already researched the client beforehand, we have listened to them, we have asked the necessary questions, so it is time to implement the fourth step: taking ownership of the meeting and empowering ourselves, so that the client perceives our professionalism.