Proactive sales techniques: Your best sellers are prescribing solutions

Today’s top sellers help customers decide not just what to buy but how. In order to drive conversion upward, sales teams must implement proactive sales techniques. They must sell solutions, not products.

While the modern buyer is more informed and savvy than ever before, information overload along with too many options can confuse customers to the point of slowing down or even stopping their purchasing journey. While it’s nice to provide customers with as much knowledge as possible to ensure they’re making an informed decision, ease of sale is directly correlated to customer loyalty. So what’s a sales professional to do?

Prescribe solutions like prescriptions 

Taking a proactive, prescriptive approach means walking potential clients through the decision-making process all the way through the purchase decision. Reps can help guide buyers based on past experiences with similar clients. According to a study by Gartner, a prescriptive approach increases purchase ease by 86 percent.

The secret to sales is diagnosis. First, diagnose the problem, then prescribe a solution and learn whether the customer is committed to resolving the problem. Sales agents practicing this method should provide clear recommendations for action backed on insights. A concise offering and clear overview of capabilities is best. Any complicated aspects of the purchase process should be simplified as much as possible. 

Proactive sales techniques: What do they sound like?

A prescription might sound something like this: “One of the things we’ve found while working with customers like you is that some people will be more resistant to change, and they’ll probably try and recruit others to join their reluctancy. When this happens, things tend to escalate quickly. You’ll want to introduce the concept across all departments sooner rather than later. After bringing it up, they will probably have these common doubts. Here’s how to address those.” 

Lead to your solution—not with your solution

Leading with your solution is not a credible way to land a prospective client’s trust. People have evolved to taking overly promotional pitches with a grain of salt. The conversation between a salesperson and a customer should help reduce indecision and drive action. In order to do so, agents must provide concrete, evidence-based recommendations based off of real customer stats. Without obviously pointing toward the seller’s product or service, prescriptions should facilitate progress along a purchase path leading to a solution that the supplier is uniquely able to provide.

In short, make it painfully clear that your product or service can take the client from problem to solution. Be sure to highlight the ease of implementation. 

Why proactive sales techniques like prescription matter

When done correctly, using proactive sales techniques to base the sales process off of a prescription always increases purchase ease and decreases the probability of purchase regret. Suppliers that make buying easy are 62 percent more likely than other suppliers to win a high-quality sale.

When salespeople are prescriptive, customers can distinguish them from the competition. Learning to anticipate and eliminate obstacles for buyers can make the difference between a deal won and a deal lost. Salespeople who are able to use insights to move customers toward a purchase that addresses their business problems will fare well in today’s competitive market.

For your sales toolbelt

Tethr provides insights as to what drives your sales conversions and customer loyalty. Learn which offers are working and which aren’t. By integrating voice data with your sales data, increase the effectiveness of your sales strategy and watch your revenue magnify.