Provocative selling: daring and effective
It’s old news – selling is not what it was. Risk aversion, the way clients acquire, in-team decision making, and full diaries all make selling a lot more challenging. Provocative selling is the solution – the sales technique that’s fully tailored to today’s demanding customers and market needs.
Changing market
Both larger, corporate clients and SMEs are not achieving their sales objectives.
The 3 main reasons for this are:
- Risk aversion as a result of short, unpredictable business cycles.
- Purchasing decisions are not made by one individual, but by a team. Which is more difficult for salespeople to influence.
- More is expected of salespeople, as today’s customers are more communicative, more assertive and much better informed via new media.
Provocative selling provides a solution and once more makes your sales goals achievable. The core benefit of provocative selling is getting involved in thinking ahead with your customer. So you engage with what might happen, rather than with what’s happening now.
Proactive, not reactive
Provocative selling is therefore different from traditional, solution selling, in which the salesperson responded with a solution to a customer’s need. Solution selling is a reactive way of selling, while provocative selling is a proactive method. The salesperson anticipates the need by already providing additional information.
The salesperson selects reference-points and stories to which the customer can relate, so helping the customer himself discover risks and opportunities. This makes it easier to persuade the customer. Better still, the customer convinces himself that he wants to work with you.
Preparation is the key to success
A provocative seller is extremely well prepared. With a thorough knowledge of the customer, his core business, its strengths and weaknesses and his business sector, the salesperson demonstrates how proactive thinking contributes to the core business. As a provocative seller you therefore deliver added value and provide advice, which gives you an immediate advantage over your competitors. In fact, the valuable advice you give, as a seller, differentiates you.
The special thing about proactive selling is that it is a genuine contribution to the customer’s thinking about its own business. By doing so, you help your customer achieve its objectives more quickly. At the same time, both parties benefit from building profitable, long-term relationships with each other.
Discover for yourself how provocative selling boosts your sales:
