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Results Selling: Providing the Proof.

Pareto Law: The authority on sales, no less, since 1995.

RESULTS SELLING: PROVIDING THE PROOF

With the growth of technology and an increasingly astute customer, sales ideologies have seen a sharp shift towards consultative practices over the past two decades. Cutting-edge methodologies including Solution Selling© or Dixon and Adamson’s celebrated The Challenger Sale have come forth as alternatives to the traditional feature-bashing or hard-sell tactics of historic sales giants. For a number of verticals and industry sectors, this consultative “solution-based” approach to identifying customer need and working in partnership to reach resolution remains a primary strategy; particularly for those who require specialised knowledge or experience in order to tailor complex or bespoke solutions.

However, as the global business world continues to welcome representatives of the millennial ‘Y’ generation into the fold, key decision makers are now those who not only have increased access to information, but are evermore dependent on verifiable facts to shape the buying process. From researching potential resolutions to ranking suppliers and benchmarking prices, customers are now more able to define solutions for themselves, with up to 80% of the buyer decision is undertaken before a sales representative even features in the process.

Differentiation will see some sales professionals seek to re-educate the buyer, perhaps cross-selling or up-selling across the product portfolio, or investing in account management and customer service to promote re-purchasing and longevity. However, embedding these practices into an existing sales culture presents challenges for many: and even when successfully achieved, may still be insufficient.

For astute business organisations, the focus is increasing not upon what they sell, but their ability to deliver: the who, the how and the proof. A shift from consultative selling, to “results selling”.

FIXING THE PROBLEM: IDENTIFYING THE NEED, TAILORING SOLUTIONS

The growing complexity of not only customer needs and challenges, but also the solutions designed to resolve them, has positioned needs analysis as a core desirable skill in the sales sphere. Leading sales professionals are not only expected to recall and position products and services to prospective clients in a persuasive manner, but to also hold a comprehensive understanding of their application and adaptability to any given business scenario, market or industry. This bespoke approach is a corner piece in account management strategy, as personalising and tailoring will not only increase the likelihood of an original sale, but will also promote growth in client retention by creating a situation of inter-dependency.

Progressing the sale from a transactional process between service provider and customer to a partnership-orientated relationship will ensure both parties are heavily invested. For the provider, key benefits will include the security of recurring revenue streams or networked referrals, while the consumer reaps the rewards of superior service and solutions that are closely aligned with business needs. Up-selling and cross-selling become commonplace, as a greater understanding of business challenges will see sellers position the customer away from core offerings to fully capitalise on opportunities across the entire product portfolio.

These increasingly complex partnerships and the solutions they demand are

CONTINUED.

REASONING WITH SUSPICION: FACT, NOT FICTION

“Now, what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon facts; nothing else will ever be of any service to them.” - Charles Dickens, Hard Times

The answer lies not in the design or even the delivery of the solution, but in the evidence-backed results the customer will see on its conclusion. Pitching projected ROI or relaying previous success is far from novel within the sales profession; however, for the astute 2.0 buyer who can comfortably navigate technology and social media platforms in order to acquire information, the demand for proof now exceeds generic impact statements or client quotes alone.

“Every provider can claim to increase my outputs through the introduction of the latest gadget or some “innovative” process that will

transform my business. What I need is to know that claim has a foundation. Show me figures, stats, show me this has been done before. How much will my outputs increase by? Which of my competitors or other organisations within my market have seen results? How long until I see a return on my investment? I’m not interested in marketing or sales spiel: I’m interested in the real details.”

An elevated sense of caution and natural suspicion is now characteristic of the modern-day buyer, particularly in light of a turbulent economic climate that has increased the level of risk associated with investing in the unknown. A subsequent growth of testimonials, success stories, case studies and feedback obtainment processes is rife across all industry sectors as key decision makers recognise the increasing value of backing up claims. However, the science of selling results has yet to become commonplace: and may still be failing to answer the needs of the customer.

also key triggers for identifying gaps in the market, leading to new product or service development and continual innovation. This has resulted in a fast-growing trend towards needs analysis being positioned not as a superior add-on to the sales package through which business organisations can differentiate, but as a core customer expectation during the sales cycle. This consumer-centric market, underpinned by information, research and bespoke tailoring, now makes for fiercer competition amongst providers than ever before. Where once suppliers were selected simply for being able to deliver a solution or fix a problem, they have now progressed to selection according to their ability to tailor or bespoke that solution. An empowered customer can now define a solution for themselves or, alternatively, expect a personalised experience from any provider stepping up to the tender table with a proposal. So if customised solutions have evolved to become the norm, what do we have left to differentiate? What factors will tip the scales to secure the sale in a demanding information-focused B2B environment?

WHAT RESULT? PARTNERING TO MEASURE SUCCESS

The key to successful results selling lies in the partnership process between supplier and buyer. The customer typically already holds considerable knowledge about their challenges and the solutions available to resolve them. In most instances, they will also have a strong idea of the desired outcomes they’re seeking: however, in order to correctly position any solution, it’s essential to support the customer in defining the measures of that success for themselves, before providing specific, measurable evidence of ability to meet those requirements.

In this instance, the role of solution selling comes into play. Rather than imparting information, the seller steps up to the responsibility of analyst and enabler: taking the process of needs analysis to the next level by identifying the intricate details of that end-goal. “Increase the number of customers we can process through new credit check software” may be the vision. Breaking that down is the next step: how many customers are currently processed? How many could a new software solution enable the business to on-board? What would that look like in terms of revenue generation? Offset against the cost of new development, what is the potential profit and when would the client be expecting to see a return on that initial investment? What are the challenges associated with undertaking an engagement of this nature in terms of service disruption or integration with existing software or systems?

By providing a 360-degree analysis, the successful seller can look to identify the push points or triggers most significant to the buyer that can then be manipulated to their advantage. For many organisations, this is already commonplace practice. The differentiation point lies in the next step: not only using assurances that a superior product or service will match those needs, but providing the physical evidence. Consider the difference between:

“Our product X utilises market-leading technology and successfully helped competitor Y see an increase in numbers of customers on-boarded, promoting a growth in revenue and profit.”

And,

“Competitor Y implemented our product X and after 3 months, and saw a 62% rise in applications processed, equating to £XXK in revenue after 12 months. You mentioned reservations around integrating a new system with your existing network. We offered compliancy checks and quality assurance to minimise integration concerns, reducing the average number of customer complaints from 30 per month to 2 per month due to smoother operations…”

The facts, figures and result specifics are the power hooks in the conversation, tailored to the specific concerns of the end-user or client.

EMBEDDING A RESULTS- ORIENTATED CULTURE

Whilst historically the process of promoting achievements or previous success has been owned by marketers, the increased demand for evidence is shifting responsibility into the hands of sellers. However, a regular hurdle faced by many is “selling” the prospect of providing a testimonial to the client: particularly one with specific ROI or figures which could, potentially, leave that business vulnerable to competitors identifying their key strategies or differentiators.

Obtaining the evidence, therefore, is becoming a specialised but essential skill. Providing motivation by making the obtainment of testimonial figures a KPI or incentive may embed the intent into a sales culture: however, extracting the right evidence and positioning the benefit to the client is a learned skill, requiring investment into training or coaching that will sell the benefit to the salesperson, and subsequently, their client or account. Value must also be recognised at a top level, before it can be de-escalated to become a corporate responsibility of all.

Identifying tangible return on investment should be an embedded practice within successful account management. Meetings to touch base and evaluate progress, identify potential need and strengthen on-going relationships to enhance retention will see mutual benefit in strategically identifying those key success indicators that correlate to achievement of objectives from the partnership. The art of questioning and probing beyond generic statements will pin down those all-important specifics that can not only be taken forward by the seller, but will also promote a continued sense of satisfaction and achievement on behalf of the client.

At the other end of the funnel, the art of tailoring those results to the next prospect is paramount for long-term sales success. Knowing which triggers to respond to and how to correctly position ROI facts and figures can be a empowering tactic, improving conversions and enhancing overall brand reputation. Equally however, it can prove damaging when it goes wrong: leaving poorly-skilled sales professionals narrating realms of numbers like a statistician. The most highly skilled sales professionals of the now-changed business marketplace are those who not only exercise a consultative, intuitive approach to identifying need, but extend this business empathy to promoting results according to the specific objectives and goals of the individual organisation.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

The process of results selling is an on-going, continuous cycle: from promotion of results in a bid to secure a sale, through to the obtainment of information throughout the sales cycle to take forward to the next pitch. Within those industries that see continual innovation or technological development, case studies and testimonials can date quickly; calling for a regular influx of new ‘results’ in order to demonstrate a metaphorical finger on the pulse across their sector. Positioning results-obtainment as a purely marketing activity undertaken on a periodic or ad-hoc basis will fail to satisfy the increasing demand, leaving those organisations trailing behind in an ever-more competitive business market.

By placing results on the management and sales agenda, business organisations can look to compile a comprehensive directory of vital, concrete success indicators to satisfy the fact-hungry and increasingly astute customer of today. When we look to the end result sought by the buyer, we can shape and sharpen the sales process accordingly: with true results.

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By providing a 360-degree analysis, the successful seller can look to identify the

push points or triggers most significant to the buyer that can then be manipulated to their

advantage.