From a professional service seller's perspective, clients don't always choose the right firm for the job. You might hear a consultant say, "I know we had the best proposal, but we still lost." Sometimes sellers kid themselves about the strength of their proposals. Other times it might be that a competitor just outsold them. After analyzing hundreds of services sales, I created the concept of the Seven-by-Seven Seller, which outlines the seven roles you must play to win in today's market, plus the seven skills you must master to be effective in those roles.
Meet the New Services Seller
Most of us will admit that at one time or another we've bought something we didn't really need from a persuasive seller. For some of these persuaders, the "secret" is the gift of gab; for others, it's a subtle misdirection in communicating the facts or a too-good-to-be-true offer that entices buyers to open their wallets. But for services sellers, these slight-of-hand techniques simply don't work. And those who rely on them are destined to be "pursuing other interests" faster than you can say, "What will it take to get you to sign this deal now?"
Today's services sellers are in the midst of a transformation in the relationship between buyers and sellers. For years, buyers have had access to volumes of information about anyone they might do business with; now, buyers are more adept at sifting through and using that information. It's common, for example, for clients to know almost as much as you about your service offer—before the first meeting takes place. What clients want to know immediately is how you work through their issues and whether you can, and will, do what you say. None of this is a threat to a competent service provider. It does mean, though, that sales meetings get to the heart of issues more quickly, and clients' expectations for results are higher. In short, clients are demanding ever more knowledgeable, solution-savvy sellers who can respond to their issues fast, fast, fast. They want subject-matter experts who can see the whole picture and collaborate effectively to design a workable, high-value solution. And more than ever, the value of your services is defined by the client's perception of the person (or team) managing the sale.
The Roles You Need to Play
Changing client priorities demand a corresponding transformation of both your function in the sales process and in the skills you need to make the sale. For the first part of that equation, you have to be ready to play these seven roles in the course of a sales opportunity:
- Business Advisor: Your objective is to find the best answer for the client's issue, even if your service isn't part of the solution. Study the client's current business and future objectives, stay on top of developments in the client's industry, and work to become a valued client resource instead of just a seller.
- Idea Merchant: Selling professional services always begins with ideas clients can use. You must go far beyond the traditional advice such as sending relevant articles to clients. Dig below the surface to explore the relevance of ideas for your clients. Then, find innovative ways to get those ideas in front of your clients.
- Strategist: You can never lose track of the big picture—foremost for the client, but also for your own business. As you envision a solution, focus on results for the client, assess whether the opportunity makes sense for your business, and decide how you will both win.
- Project Leader: A services sale is a project in itself, with its own objective, scope, timing, staffing, and budget. Buyers rightly view the sales process as a dress rehearsal for how you will operate if you win the work. So manage the sales process with a vision, communicate widely, and manage tasks to meet your objectives.
- Change Leader: Your ability to guide clients through change is as important to the sale as the quality of your service. In the past, too many clients watched the erosion of promised value when a seller's implementation approach resulted in delays or worse, project failures. Now, they're not just asking questions about what will change; they want to know what you will do to bring about that change—and minimize disruption to their operations.
- Relationship Manager: None of the seller's roles is more important than the others, but without the ability to build strong client relationships, you'll struggle to stay in the game. The other roles you play provide the necessary foundation for relating to clients. And those who master those other roles are usually also the best relationship managers.
- Communicator: The seller's primary responsibility is to negotiate the sale with favorable terms, and that requires highly tuned communication skills. Each of the roles above offers ways to strengthen client relationships and manage the sales process, but those roles only facilitate the sale. To take a prospective sale from a lead to closure demands expertise in persuasiveness, building trust, and, at just the right time, asking for the sale.
When you see an accomplished seller in action, it's easy to buy into the enduring myth that extraordinary sales success is the result of a "sales gene" that few mere mortals possess. It's more likely, though, that the seller has pursued mastery in the seven essential skills that support the seller's key roles.
Services sellers who continually work to master these seven skills will find that their sales efforts are less complex to manage and win:
- Client Relationship Development: Think strategically and plan for clients' long-term benefit; establish trusted client relationships based on recognized expertise, innovative ideas, competence, and a mutual exchange of value.
- Interpersonal Communication: Lead discussions and influence direction and outcomes; exhibit active listening and questioning skills; communicate effectively at all levels in client organizations.
- Client Interviewing: Prepare for and conduct insight-based discussions with client executives and others to gather relevant facts to support the development of a winning services offer.
- Problem Diagnosis: Use analytical techniques to uncover the root cause of client problems; envision a range of viable, sustainable solutions.
- Sales Proposal Development: Convey a persuasive written view of objectives, approach, economic terms, and expected value.
- Project Leadership: Plan and direct the sales activity of the seller and client teams, from initiation of the sales process until the sale is completed—and beyond.
- Personal Selling, Negotiating, and Closing: Offer compelling reasons to spur action, in both one-on-one and group settings. Propose and obtain agreement on terms and conditions that serve the client's needs and preserve your profit.
Like everything in selling services, there is no silver bullet that guarantees success. But one trait that top sellers have in common is dedication to continual honing of their skills over the long-term. And they don't wait for someone to hand them a professional development plan; they figure out their strengths and weaknesses and go after what they need to excel.
By embracing the seven roles and pursuing constant improvement in the seller's seven skills, you will become a more versatile, well-rounded, and successful seller. Most important, you'll be a better consultant for your clients and the one they think of when they need help.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment