It could be said that the best salespeople do not actually sell but solve. Problems, that is. The heart and soul of effectively promoting a product or service is really all about getting customers to need and want it. The way to do that is to make them see that it does, or offers, something useful to them.

Chicago companies of all sizes and types must find a way to help their salespeople drop the old-fashioned sales mentality and adopt the more profitable relationship creating approach.

Do not start at the pitch

When determining a business pitch, it is best to not actually start with the pitch itself. As noted in Forbes, the term pitch implies one-way communication in which a salesperson simply talks to a prospect. People who want to excel in sales today will step back and make a plan for how to pitch in a whole new way.

The first step here is thorough prospecting—matching potential customers with products or services. Integral to this is the determination of what prospects’ problems are and how a particular purchase can solve them.

The power of the ear

Armed with an understanding of the benefits that can be offered, salespeople should following four basic steps in order to turn a once canned sales process into a true marketing technique:

1. Ask questions—upon engaging with prospects, sales professionals should start by asking them questions. These questions should always be open-ended and conversation starters. The goal here is to get potential customers talking.
2. Listen—this is sometimes the hardest part for people eager to close deals but it can also be the most important. People love to talk about themselves and they will respond very positively to salespeople willing to actively listen to them. Additionally, when prospects are allowed to talk, they quite often give vital clues as to what they need. Smart salespeople can pick up on these and use that information to guide their responses.
3. Discuss—it is at this point that sales professionals can begin to offer suggestions or talk about how they can help. The conversation should be dynamic and focused on the benefits, not features, of any product or service.
4. Ask for the sale—after proper engagement has been made with prospects, a direct request to do buy should be made in an appropriate way.

These four steps should be considered the key to not only soliciting single sales but ideally ongoing relationships with multiple customers.

The sales cycle truly is a process and gone are the days when customers respond positively to pushy one-sided sales techniques. Taking the time to prepare and let prospects become part of the process more than pays for itself in the long run.