Is a Consultative Sales Approach the New Standard? 4 Sales Leaders Tell Us How They Do Things Differently

A consultative approach takes new skill sets and strategies.
Written by Will Reynolds
July 7, 2022Updated: July 7, 2022

Sales today is more than pushing a good product with a standard pitch. Organizations are moving to an approach that prioritizes understanding the needs of a client while providing knowledgeable insight. 

What does consultative sales look like in tech?

“It’s making the customer the focal point of our conversation, not our product,” said Mandi King, senior manager of North America renewals at Udemy.

Paul Collins at Duda agreed, adding: “It’s a methodology rooted in problem finding, educating and driving towards real recommendations that solve critical problems.”

However, not everyone embraces the shift to a consultative sales approach — which is to their own detriment, according to SumUp’s Jean Marco Bendezu. “If you resist a consultative approach, you won’t be successful,” he said. “You can’t sell it the same way every time, even if you follow the same process. You can know the product well, but you also need to know the personality and nuances of the business.”

“The old mentality of being an order taker is gone,” said Amanda Colianne at Handshake. “I would tell my fellow salespeople who are resistant to change that you’ll get more out of the partnership when you invest the time to understand the client on a deeper level and move past a transactional interaction.”

Built In Colorado sat down with each of these four sales managers to discuss the consultative sales technique. Here’s what they had to say about getting results by doing things differently.

 

Mandi King
Senior Manager, North America Renewals • Udemy

 

Mandi King shares her successful strategies for reaching retention targets — even during the pandemic — as a renewals senior manager for Udemy, an online destination for learning with over 52 million learners in 75 languages.

 

Have you always had a consultative approach to sales, or is this a relatively new shift for you?

I’ve always had a consultative approach because I see myself more as a problem solver than a salesperson. It feels natural and genuine to me. 

My early sales experience was in B2B wireless sales. Not only did I have to make sure I was hitting sales targets, but I was also compensated for customer satisfaction and low return rates. These fundamentals translated well as I transitioned into managing SaaS renewals and expansion at Udemy. Udemy’s entire sales team takes a customer-first approach, and consultative selling makes our products and services stick in a highly competitive market.

I see myself more as a problem solver than a salesperson. It feels natural and genuine to me.”

 

How do revenue results and client relationships change when salespeople take a consultative approach to their work?

Consultative selling is very customer-centric. It’s making the customer the focal point of our conversation, not our product. 

During the pandemic, we had many customers whose budgets were slashed and either had to downsize or not renew altogether. It was my team’s responsibility to renew every dollar possible. Still, we had to operate with a high level of sensitivity and take a sincere interest in solving our clients’ challenges during this turbulent time, even if it meant losing in the short term. While I expected to take a hit against our retention targets, that was simply not the case. Our approach allowed us to foster better relationships built on trust, and many of those clients have recouped and signed on for a longer contract term.

 

What would you say to a person or team that was resistant to the idea of shifting to a more consultative approach?

Take care of your clients and they’ll take care of you. For those who may be hesitant to shift to the consultative approach for fear of disqualifying or losing opportunities, I ask: what sales approach has a 100 percent close rate? I’d rather lose an opportunity because it wasn’t a right fit over not being seen as a trusted advisor for my client.

 

 

Jean Marco Bendezu
City Manager • SumUp

 

SumUp supports small businesses with a suite of financial technology tools. Its City Manager, Jean Marco Bendezu, has seen higher success rates with a consultative approach.

 

Have you always had a consultative approach to sales, or is this a relatively new shift for you?

In my previous roles, I always had to think on my feet and there wasn’t much of a planned approach. But with a consultative approach, you need to take into account different situations and different personalities, which means you can’t form assumptions. That’s why, when I joined the team, I wanted to build a process that we could scale.

 

How do revenue results and client relationships change when salespeople take a consultative approach to their work? 

When a salesperson takes a consultative approach, you’re able to focus on building trust and rapport with a customer and help their business instead of only focusing on the sale. Being empathetic and understanding a customer’s business challenges are crucial to the process because you’re using your product expertise to identify the solutions that best meet their needs. If you have a really good foundation of being a consultant with empathy and a genuine approach, you’ll ultimately see higher conversion rates, higher ACV and stronger retention rates.

Being empathetic and understanding a customer’s business challenges are crucial to the process because you’re using your product expertise to identify the solutions that best meet their needs.”

 

What would you say to a person or team that was resistant to the idea of shifting to a more consultative approach?

When working with small businesses, it’s important to understand that every business is different and you have to adjust. If you resist a consultative approach, you won’t be successful. You can’t sell it the same way every time, even if you follow the same process. You can know the product well, but you also need to know the personality and nuances of the business.

 

 

Paul Collins
Director, Mid-Market Sales • Duda, Inc.

 

Paul Collins breaks down the key components of consultative selling that he uses as director of mid-market sales at Duda, a web design platform for companies that offer web design services to small businesses.

 

Have you always had a consultative approach to sales, or is this a relatively new shift for you?

Consultative selling is more than just showing up, listening and asking questions. It’s a methodology rooted in problem finding, educating and driving towards real recommendations that solve critical problems. And it works (remarkably well, in fact) but not just by claiming it to be so. Being an effective and successful consultative seller requires a deep understanding of the specific actions and behaviors that create value and drive mutually beneficial results.

 

How do revenue results and client relationships change when salespeople take a consultative approach to their work? 

When I think about a consultative sales approach, it goes much deeper than being empathetic and listening. It’s really about educating, guiding and solving problems. Above all else, what prospective buyers really want is help in doing their jobs more effectively. They want professional advice, guidance and expertise in solving their problems and delivering on their goals. They want a thought partner that can add value. 

What prospective buyers really want is help in doing their jobs more effectively. They want professional advice, guidance and expertise in solving their problems and delivering on their goals.”

 

Buyers aren’t actually looking to buy things — that is not their objective — they’re looking to succeed and thrive. Sellers therefore can’t be in the business of selling things, they need to be in the business of enabling success and helping others make great things happen. This is what a consultative mindset is all about, and it’s the winning strategy to creating lasting value over the long run. 

 

What would you say to a person or team that was resistant to the idea of shifting to a more consultative approach?

Let’s break “consultative selling” down into some of its key components. 

Problem finding: Often, especially in enterprise technology, the problem isn’t crystal clear or well defined. Being able to help a prospective buyer identify the core and most meaningful problem to solve is a critical first step of a consultative seller. 

Problem unification: In B2B enterprise selling in particular, the buying process is complex with a growing number of decision makers and influencers. To be successful and close deals, consultative sellers must unite all the individuals in the buying sphere around a common cause and common narrative of what solving the problem will mean for the business. 

Solution education: While it may seem risky to introduce alternative or competing solutions, it allows sellers to have more influence over how the various options are perceived and builds their credibility and trust. Buyers ultimately respect sellers who act as partners and keep their best interests in mind.

Closing: Equipped with a clear understanding of what success looks like on both sides and an awareness of how value can be created, the consultative selling approach is a journey rather than a race.

 

 

Amanda Colianne
Enterprise Account Executive • Handshake

 

Handshake helps students and recent graduates launch their career. Amanda Colianne tells us how connecting with clients on a deeper level has paid off.

 

Have you always had a consultative approach to sales, or is this a relatively new shift for you? If so, tell us a bit about the early sales experiences that helped you develop this skill.

My natural curiosity for interacting with people at a young age has taught me to listen, assess situations quickly and empathize with the groups around me. 

I’ve been in software sales for almost eight years, but my sales career started at the age of six by selling lemonade in my radio flyer wagon. I’ve always had a consultative sales approach because I’ve always tried to understand their needs and perspective instead of pushing my agenda onto someone. Over time these skills have helped me understand the client’s goals and challenges, assess their needs and recommend solutions without being pushy. 

Handshake empowers me to take my entrepreneurial spirit and work my business as I see fit, which has allowed me to be successful. At Handshake, I have an abundance of tools and support, which allows me to cut out the noise and connect with clients on a deeper level. 

 

How do revenue results and client relationships change when salespeople take a consultative approach to their work? Share an example from your experience.

When you focus on the client’s unique needs and genuinely understand their business and how they operate, you become an extension of their team. You’re more than a salesperson; you’re consulting them on industry trends and helping shape their business’s direction concerning your area of expertise. You build a partnership that allows open dialogue into the budget and actual needs. I’ve built partnerships where I still keep in touch with the contacts, and as they move on to other organizations, they reach out and re-engage with Handshake. 

To me, the conversations I have with Handshake clients are more than a transaction; I’m looking out for them as an internal champion. Our tools allow their teams to focus on the candidates and students, and at the end of the day, we are here to democratize opportunities for students. These conversations can change the trajectory of a candidate’s life.

When you focus on the client’s unique needs and genuinely understand their business and how they operate, you become an extension of their team.”

 

What would you say to a person or team that was resistant to the idea of shifting to a more consultative approach?

I would tell my fellow salespeople who are resistant to change that you’ll get more out of the partnership when you invest the time to understand the client on a deeper level and move past a transactional interaction. The old mentality of being an order taker is gone. When you are ingrained in their process and have buy-in at multiple levels, in various departments, you connect the entire organization and you can present an enterprise-wide solution. Having a human connection and a curious mindset will pay off tenfold by allowing you to become more than a vendor.

 

 

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