Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

SALES SAVVY BUSINESS BEST PRACTICES

By Paul Reilly

The Future of Value-Added Selling

“What is past is prologue.” - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

All images: BigStockPhoto ©

Ross . However, today’s ABCs of selling are di erent: Always Be Collaborating. As buyers collaborate with multiple decision-makers, sellers will also need to collaborate with their internal team. Salespeople will need to leverage the strength of their internal team earlier in the process. For value-added sellers, the end-to-end customer experience is a di erentiator. Sales support can no longer just collaborate when buyers start using the product. Instead, buyers are expecting more value before the sale. Every touch point between the customer and your organization is an opportunity to create value. e more touch points you initiate, the more value you create. Buyers expect you to be the expert. According to an Accenture study, 94 percent of purchasers conduct online research before buying. Researching products has become easier. Buyers can easily nd answers to basic questions, but they also have in-depth complex needs. As a value-added salesperson, dig

Value-added selling is a viable model because it’s built on timeless principles and a rock-solid philosophy: Do more of that which adds value and less of that which adds li le or no value. But how will this philosophy continue to guide salespeople and sales organizations into the future? Here are a few thoughts on the future of value-added selling: Value-added selling is a customer-focused approach. Customers are buying di erently, so salespeople need to sell di erently. Today’s buyers are increasing the number of people involved in the buying process. Our research shows that almost six decision-makers are now involved in the buying process. Groups change the dynamics of decision-making. e salesperson of the future must collaborate early in the buying process and learn how to manage multiple decision-makers. If you’re in sales, you’ve heard of the ABCs of selling: Always Be Closing. is phrase was made popular by Alec Baldwin in the 1992 lm, Glengarry Glen

is phrase was made famous inWilliam Shakespeare’s, e Tempest . e message appears on our National Archives and in movies like Oliver Stone’s, JFK . is metaphorical reference reminds us that the entirety of our past has a orded us the opportunities we experience today. And it also reminds us that we are just ge ing started. What we have done to this point will not be enough to get us to where we need to be. Every end brings a new beginning. ere is an entire generation of salespeople experiencing the value- added selling message for the rst time. ere is also a generation of veteran salespeople eager to mentor the next generation on this message of hope. What an incredible opportunity for both rookies and veterans. Although much has changed in today’s business world, certain things remain constant. Buyers still want value. Buyers might de ne value di erently today, but they still want it. As long as buyers want value, value-added sellers will nd a way to deliver it. e future of value-added selling will be shaped by those willing to apply these timeless principles.

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