In this video, we discuss how to use a conversation-based selling approach. This sales methodology cannot only improve your results, but it can also make selling easier.

 

Sales Process

The starting place for explaining the conversation-based selling methodology is to outline the sales process you will take a sales prospect through, and that includes four steps: 1) Initial Contact, 2) Conversation, 3) Explanation, and 4) Purchase.

  • Initial Contact: This is the first time you interact with the prospect, and it could be a cold call, cold email, cold walking, meeting while networking, etc.
  • Conversation: This is when you and the prospect have a longer, more established conversation. It usually takes the form of a scheduled call, appointment, or meeting.
  • Explanation: This is where you will explain to the prospect how you or your product can help them. This could be a presentation or demonstration, but it also could be providing a proposal or quotation.
  • Purchase: This is where the prospect purchases your product or service.

 

What is Conversation-Based Selling

With the sales process outlined, it is easy to see what conversation-based selling is as it is where a salesperson focuses more on closing for the conversation sales process step and then tries to get the most out of the conversions with prospects.

While that sounds logical, most salespeople use a more product-based selling approach. In this approach, the salesperson focuses more on the last step of the sales process, which is trying to get the prospect to purchase the product.

 

Prospects Are Not In Buying Mode

One reason a product-based selling approach can be less effective and more challenging is because, when you are performing cold outreach, the prospects you are interacting with a likely not in buying mode for what you sell. This means there is likely to be a mismatch between what the salesperson is trying to do and where the prospect is mentally.

 

Increased Objections

Because of the mismatch that can be created when using a product-based selling approach, this salesperson will be more likely to trigger objections like:

I am not interested.
We already use someone for that.
We do not have any budget right now.
We are not making any changes.

Focusing more on the conversation decreases the potential for a mismatch, and thus decreases the probability of facing these objections. A conversation-based selling approach also provides a very simple and effective response to the objections of:

I understand. I am not reaching out to you to try to sell you anything.

We are just looking to open the dialogue between our two companies and have an initial conversation.

We would like to learn about you and share some information about us.

That way, when you are ready to make a change, you can know who we are and how we can help.

Are you open to putting a brief conversation on the calendar?

 

Cold Calling

This sales approach can also improve and simplify what you say and do when cold calling. Most product-selling salespeople try to either close the sale or validate interest in purchasing the product on a cold call. But this approach shifts that to the goal of the cold call being to close for the conversation sales process step. Not only is that a more logical thing to do, but it is easier to close for the conversation than to close for the purchase.

 

Cold Emailing

The conversation-based selling approach can also change what you say in your cold email messages. Most salespeople focus on the purchase sales process step in their cold emails by asking if the prospect wants or needs the product they sell. With this approach, you can change that and focus more on selling the next step in the sales process, which is the conversation.

 

Meetings

This approach can also change how you organize your meetings with prospects, and we recommend following these four rules.

  1. Even split on the prospect and product
  2. The first half of the conversation on the prospect
  3. The second half is on how you can help
  4. The goal is to qualify and sell the next sales process step

 

End Result

When you add up all of these changes, you will decrease how much you look like a salesperson who is trying to sell something. That will lead to less objections, rejection, and resistance. You will also not only have more meetings with prospects, but you will get more out of each meeting leading to increasing the number of leads you are able to generate. The net net is, not only will you sell more, but selling will actually feel easier and more fun.

We hope this conversation-based selling approach helps you to sell more!