Course Description
The
Counselor Salesperson
Going to market with unique, high-quality
products and services is no longer a guarantee that sales will be made and
accounts will be retained. Remaining viable in today’s business environment
requires salespeople who can respond to customers’ business needs, priorities,
and interests better than the competition. Salespeople must be able to quickly
discover and understand the business issues related to strategy execution. It
all begins with a consultative selling approach—working closely with customers
to solve real business problems.
The Counselor Salesperson (CSP) uses a four-step consultative selling process that helps salespeople transition from simply making transactions to solving real business problems. CSP focuses on adopting a Counselor Mindset, a mindset that builds profitable, long-term customer relationships.
Program Outcomes
The Counselor Salesperson (CSP) establishes a basic philosophy of selling with a common and easily understood approach. CSP provides a win-win approach to selling that emphasizes problem solving from the customer’s point of view.
Implemented as a flexible and integrated Human Performance Improvement (HPI) solution, it enables a consistent customer experience from the salesforce, effective coaching and performance management with a variety of tools, and overall increased sales.
Agenda
This course is divided into 5 modules covered in 2 day workshop
Module 1—The Counselor Approach (1 hr, 30 min)
The
models introduced in this module are Counselor Approach, Bicycle, and Counselor
Shift.
·
Introduce participants and the course
agenda.
·
Position the role of salesperson as
problem solver.
·
Introduce the Counselor Approach.
·
Introduce the Counselor Planner as a
tool to use in the class and on the job.
·
Two Points of View
·
Two Viewpoints Exercise
·
The Salesperson’s Dilemma discussion
introduces a variant on the Strategist/Consultant; it’s introduced as part of
the debrief for the exercise
Module 2—Learning and Applying the Skills of Relating (4 hours, 15
minutes)
The models introduced in this module are
Time/Tension and Credibility (PCCI model).
·
Experience the No Trust barrier to
selling.
·
Understand how Task and Relationship
Tension interrelate over time.
·
Recognize buyer behaviors that
indicate Relationship and Task Tension.
·
Explore what to do to avoid the No
Trust barrier.
·
Learn four critical Relating
techniques for avoiding the No Trust barrier.
·
Practice applying the Relating
techniques.
·
Plan for the application of the
Relating techniques with a real customer.
Module 3—Learning and Applying the Skills of Discovering (5 hours,
55 minutes)
The
models introduced in this module are GAP model, Business Needs Identification, Buying
Motives, Discovery Protocol, and Discovery Agreement.
·
Experience the No Need barrier to
selling.
·
Explore what to do avoid this barrier.
·
Learn an approach for accurately
defining the customer’s needs.
·
Use questioning and listening skills
to gather information about the buyer’s problem.
·
Understand and use the Discovery
Agreement to summarize the buyer’s problem.
·
Plan for the application of the
Discovering techniques with a real customer.
Module 4—Learning and Applying the Skills of Advocating (4 hours, 40
minutes)
The
models introduced in this module are the S-A-B Protocol, LSCPA, and Assumptive
Close Techniques: Options Close and Natural Next Steps Close.
·
Experience the No Help barrier to
selling.
·
Explore what to do to avoid this
barrier.
·
Recommend solutions in terms of
benefits based on what was learned in Discovering.
·
Use task and personal appeals to
communicate how a solution solves the buyer’s problem.
·
Explore effective closing techniques.
·
Use a process for effectively
responding to buyer resistance.
·
Plan for the application of the
Advocating techniques with a real customer.
Module 5—Learning and Applying the Skills of Supporting (1 hour,50 minutes
The
models introduced in this module are Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction (Zone of
Indifference) and Four Questions.
·
Reflect on your experience with the No
Satisfaction barrier to selling.
·
Explore what to do to avoid this
barrier.
·
Learn an approach for ensuring the
satisfaction of a customer.
·
Plan for the application of Supporting
techniques with a real customer.
The Challenge of Supporting
·
Trust + Need + Help = Sale,
No Satisfaction = No More Sales
·
The Zone of Indifference
Four elements of the
Supporting model:
·
Enhance the Relationship
·
Reinforce the Buying Decision
·
Manage the Implementation
·
Deal with Dissatisfaction
Audience
A client has
·
Grown by acquisitions and mergers, and has many
(incompatible) approaches to sales – and wants a common language and approach
to customers
·
An influx of new sales people, and is concerned
about time to proficiency (how long until they pay their way?)
·
Increasing competitive pressure and diminishing
brand impact means that their sales force needs to get “back to the basics” and
learn (again) how to compete
·
Progressively greater difficulty in
differentiating from the competition
And they find that:
·
They need to shift from product selling to solution
selling.
·
Price wars control the selling process, and
their salespeople give in on price to win the business.
All of these issues require the salesperson to be more
proactive and to get closer to the customer. The salesperson needs to become a
consultant and problem-solver to aid customers in addressing their critical
business needs.