5 Factors that Distinguish Top Solution Sellers

Distinguish Top Solution Sellers
Top solution sellers use time wisely. But that’s such a general piece of advice for any role or level.  More specifics around the factors that distinguish top solution sellers from the pack would be better.  Which sales mindsets and sales activities really make a difference?

Five Factors that Distinguish Top Solution Sellers
Our over twenty years of designing and delivering customized solution selling training programs and working with sales teams to improve their performance has taught us a thing or two. Here are five factors we have found that distinguish top solution sellers from the middle-to-low performers. The most effective solution sellers:

1. Put the Client First
   While this seems small, the mindset of of top sellers is to be client-centric and to put the client’s interests first and foremost.  That means deeply understanding your client’s industry, business, and priorities so that you can focus on helping them to be successful.  Low performing sales reps focus on closing deals not on helping their clients or their clients’ customers.
2. Plan Thoroughly Before Each and Every Call
   Don’t try to “wing it.” Customers know when you have prepared and when you haven’t. It can feel almost insulting to customers who have set aside time to meet with you to find you know very little about them.  Customers expect you will have questions but not questions that could have been answered by simple research, a review of their financial reports, or preliminary interviews with staff.

   The best consultative salespeople invest their time pre-call sales planning to learn all they can about the customer and their situation before the meeting. This allows them to dig deep into what the customer really needs and build the relationship on firm, value-added ground.

3. Know Which Clients Warrant Time and Energy
   Smart sales leaders ensure that their sales teams have a clear profile of their target customers. They know clients who are likely to be interested in their unique value proposition, who have a need, and who have the resources and support to buy.  They know that the faster they can qualify a prospect, the faster they can either pursue them or pass them by.

   A red light on one customer gives them time to focus on a prospect with more buying potential.

4. Focus on Selling Rather than Peripheral Activities
   Salespeople are an expensive resource for any organization. Top solution sellers spend their time selling rather than in activities that can be better covered by others.  The most efficient and effective sellers know how to off-load tasks that do not capitalize on their core skills.

   To distinguish top solution sellers, ensure your sales reps can rely upon support from admin staff, customer service, and field engineers.

5. Provide Value with Each Interaction
   Top salespeople work hard to establish themselves as trusted partners with their customers. To build a trusted client relationship, they must act more like advisors who have their customers’ best interests at heart and less like sellers who are interested mainly in their own revenue targets.

   Top sellers try to bring a little “gift” each time they interact — a pertinent whitepaper, a referral to a subject matter expert, an insight, or a fresh perspective.  The value they bring strengthens the bond between buyer and seller and increases entanglement — the best defense against the competition.

The Bottom Line
If you want to distinguish top solution sellers from the competition, try to incorporate these four best practices into your sales process and watch your sales performance soar.

To learn more about improving your solution selling skills, please download The 6 Top Reasons Sales Training Initiatives Fail