Course description
This workshop will help you create, develop and close business opportunities using a consultative approach and a value-based (not price-led) proposition.
Value-based selling means working the way your customer wants to buy, not how you want to sell. It also means:
In a transactional sale the customer knows the answer without help from a salesperson (or cannot see why they should choose you), or is prepared to stay with what they have. Customer decision criteria are price and convenience and customers resent time spent with (new) salespeople, mainly because the salesperson adds little or nothing to what the customer already has and just wastes time.
In a consultative or value-based sale, by contrast, the customer doesn’t know the answer already. The salesperson must take the role of an advisor, not just a ‘product promoter’. Customers demand expertise, advice and customisation during the sales process. Often customers insist on multiple meetings with salespeople and others to develop advantages that you can bring and reduce the perceived risk of changing. In this way the salesperson often adds more value than the product or service alone.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
This highly-practical skills-based training programme will benefit all those who are involved in approaching, developing, presenting or negotiating new business opportunities. This includes winning brand new customers and developing new revenue from existing clients, contacts or prospects. It is suitable for all levels and types of sales and marketing staff.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
- Increased impact of your new sales conversations, presentations and proposals – leading to faster decisions and increased conversion
- Greater confidence, consistency and professionalism throughout the business development process
- Enhanced sales questioning skills and techniques, leading to better, faster and more accurate development of customer needs, problems, value and expectations
- Improve your people, communication, influence and persuasion skills when approaching, consulting or presenting your services and solutions
- How to build value at all points in the customer’s buying process through your knowledge, skills and structured approach
- Proven ways to gain additional business and referrals from existing customers and contacts, through direct approach and lead generation
- Being better able differentiate your firm, your solutions, track-record and expertise clearly and accurately with tailored value statements for each stage and for each opportunity
- Overcome and avoid price-based objections, buying criteria and negotiation
Training Course Content
1 Introduction and key principles of value-based selling
- Introduction and review of pre-course questionnaires – KPIs, personal learning objectives and key principles
- The main principles of value-based selling and how they benefit you and the customer
- How value-based selling differs from ‘transactional’ or ‘price-based’ selling
- The stages of the customer’s buying cycle – how to identify and work through strategies for each stage
- The concept of structured and set-piece selling and proposing
- Presentation by participants: Personal sales improvement goals
2 Value-based selling strategies and skills
- What is value? How can one move away from a price-led agenda?
- How to survive and resist price pressure – six techniques
- A review of key competencies and skills needed for a value-based approach
- Strategies, case studies and examples with discussion and review
- Defining your initial value proposition and comparative advantage
- How best to established the right level of trust, rapport and credibility
- Planning and practice session: Strategy – mapping a value-based sales process.
3 Connecting skills
- Research before the meeting and the first few minutes – ways to gain instant rapport and setting the foundation for a successful outcome in a first sales call
- How to structure an effective first time sales call or meeting – the subtle differences that are important to master
- How best to differentiate your solutions and build credibility and enthusiasm early or at the start of the buying process
- Overcoming initial buying resistance and relaxing the prospect; gaining rapport, opening the meeting: PBC (purpose-benefit-check) and gaining agreement to proceed
- Planning and practice session: Connecting – first meeting with a new contact
4 Consulting – building, developing and influencing client needs
- Understanding the power of high-impact and third-level questions to influence people based around specific needs and solutions
- The importance of body language and other personal communication dynamics when asking questions; empathic listening, run-on questions, drawing out skills, summarising, etc
- Creating a ‘disturb’ approach to creating needs and opportunities and positioning your solutions
- Using proven advanced sales questioning techniques with greater skill: Outcome, SPIN and qualification questions
- ‘Decision-making criteria’ – tools to help you develop the relevant criteria with the customer and in doing so progress your sales opportunities more effectively
- Planning and practice session: Questioning skills
5 Convincing – presentation and persuading skills practice
- Substance and style – selecting the right tone and content to engage and enthuse your prospect
- Compelling benefits and reducing perceived risk – key messages to deliver
- Helping the customer choose your proposition – by being convincing, compelling and credible when you present
- Professional and effective presentation skills – with personal coaching and practice sessions
- The keys of influence and persuasion and the keys to convincing a new customer to choose you for the first time
- Planning and practice session: Role-play in presenting your solution
6 Commitment
- Knowing when and how to close for commitment to the next stage in your sales process, plus ways to ask for commitment professionally and effectively
- How to isolate, prioritise and answer objections and concerns more openly and accurately, using a consultative not a confrontational approach
- Deal more effectively and profitably with price objections and reduce buyer’s remorse (which can lead to an ‘I want to think about it’ reaction and cause delay and inertia)
- Key negotiation skills around the closing process – getting to ‘yes’
- Planning and practice session: Role-play in closing and negotiation skills
7 Assessed role-play – Final practice session
Live role-plays- There is an option for external participants to be brought in to the live training workshop to take-part in the final assessed role-play or assist with other sessions run during the course.
Performance assessment – ‘Dragon’s Pitch’
- The final afternoon of the course is an assessed role-play using a prepared scenario and external ‘CEO’. The assessment criteria will be agreed prior to the workshop.
8 Workshop summary and close
- Personal action plan and learning summary
Course delivery details
This two-day workshop is highly interactive and encourages participation through a combination of short presentations, group discussion, practical exercises (including structured role-play), case studies, and breakout sessions designed to help participants learn new skills and reinforce existing abilities.
The second day features extensive rehearsal and review of current and real-life pitches, presentations and proposals.
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