Selling consultatively is GOOD. Being and unpaid consultant is BAD. That’s it in a nutshell but what is the difference? Consultative selling involves the following:
- Having a conversation with the prospect
- Asking questions
- Understanding the prospect’s pain
- Determining if the prospect is ready to buy
- Acting as an equal in the conversation
- Displaying your knowledge by the questions you ask
Being and unpaid consultant looks like this:
- Being treated like a “vendor” which is a synonym for servant
- Getting minimal information from the prospect
- Telling the prospect everything you know
- Solving problems in the sales call
- Providing quotes to prospects without a commitment to make a decision
- Providing quotes to unqualified prospects
- Bidding and hoping to win
I could go on but you get the idea. Sell consultatively but don’t be and unpaid consultant. They sound similar but there is a world of difference between the two.
