Differences between consultative selling and traditional selling

As life moves on and changes, so does the world of marketing and sales.

We are no longer those buyers who are told every day to “buy from me” and buy. Today, we know what our needs are, and we only agree to buying when we clearly see that the need will be met.

Thus, all types of businesses, including B2B, have had to adapt to this new way of selling, making a clear difference between being a predatory seller and being a consultative seller.

Despite being involved in this scenario, do you still have doubts about the difference between one concept and the other?

Relax.

We have prepared this post to help you discover the differences between consultative selling and traditional selling.

Keys to differentiation between consultative and traditional selling

While there are several points to consider to make the difference between consultative selling and traditional selling, the biggest one is this:

B2B businesses and consumers in general love to buy, but not to be sold to.

We have changed a lot, and we no longer wait for the seller to sell us their products or services, now we are the ones who, when we detect a problem or a need, go out into the market to find a solution.

And this is what really makes the difference between consultative selling and traditional selling.

First of all, we are going to share with you a very simple definition of what consultative selling is.

We call it consultative selling when it is focused on the needs of the business or buyer. In this type of sales, as we have already mentioned, it is the customer who looks for us and not the other way around: they have a problem, they run to the market or to Google, and they look for a solution through advice.

This is where the term consultative selling comes from. In this case, the salesperson becomes a consultant who helps and gives advice and does not simply sell.

Once the definition is clear, to understand the differences between consultative and traditional sales, we must be clear about 4 basic concepts:

• Generating trust.
• Detecting the needs of customers and B2B businesses.
• Offering advice and solutions to their problems.
• Closing sales and conversion.

These are the four basic pillars that define the differences between one type of selling and the other.

Why?

Let us explain.

Imagine these four points as if they were a pyramid.

When imagining the pyramid of traditional sales, let’s say that the base of the sale is the closing.

In other words, the most important thing is to sell without further ado. Bearing in mind that we love to buy, but not to be sold to; this type of selling can hardly be successful.

The top of the pyramid of traditional sales is the creation of trust, which will not be excessive either, if we bear in mind that the effort is dedicated solely and exclusively to selling.

If we think of consultative selling, the base of this pyramid is the opposite. The effort is devoted to building customer confidence, without which it is very difficult to make a sale.

For this reason, consultative selling takes much longer than traditional selling. Gaining the trust of B2B businesses and customers in general does not happen overnight.

After that, customers’ needs are detected in order to help them in the best possible way. Once these needs are discovered, we can present a solution and finally sell our products and services.

In traditional sales, customers’ needs are relegated to practically nothing, although they do put more interest in the presentation of the solution. Remember that the only objective is to sell.

What conclusion can we share with you after telling you all this?

That consultative selling will bring you many more sales closures than traditional sales because the customer will appreciate the interest in getting to know him or her, detecting what he or she needs and that you have thought of a specific solution for him or her.

In this way, the generation of trust will come almost by itself thanks to the effort and time you have invested in being helpful.

How to approach consultative selling for success

• First, don’t just think about selling and keep in mind that what you need to do is to help your customers.
• Without it, it is impossible to understand your customer and build trust. In addition, you will feel less pressure to sell your products or services.
• Get to know your customer perfectly, it is the only way to make them feel heard and you can show them that you are the best solution to their problems. As a result, you will create products and services that the customer is looking for to meet their needs.
• Prepare a good after-sales service, it is the best way to strengthen your relationship with customers, build customer loyalty and increase their trust in your business.

Reasons to go for consultative selling over traditional selling

Si todavía tienes dudas sobre el porqué deberías apostar por la venta consultiva, tanto si eres cliente como si cuentas con un negocio, vamos a darte las razones definitivas para dejar de lado la venta tradicional: 

1.- If you still have doubts about why you should go for consultative selling, whether you are a customer or a business, we are going to give you the definitive reasons to leave traditional selling aside:

2.- You get rid of those mental barriers that sales are bad or that salespeople are all “cheeky”.

3.- The customer will feel that you really want to help them and not just sell to them.

4.- Your relationship with the customer will be much closer, thus favouring their loyalty.

5.- By knowing your customers’ needs, you will be able to generate new business opportunities based on them.

6.- Greater possibilities of closing sales, without pressure.

We have it clear, in Meeting Dots we are consultative sales because for us helping and advising you comes first, what about you?