Engaging Business with Consultative SellingMichele Martin, The Bamboo Project, Inc.

Let’s Connect!

Name

WIB Area/Organization

Role

What is one thing you’re passionate about when it comes to serving your business customers? What do you pride yourself on?

Michele Martin

5 years HR/recruitment for 2 Fortune 500 companies

20 years in WFD

17 years as small business owner using consultative selling strategies

Passionate about helping my customers ask the right questions to connect with the right opportunities.

Agenda

Building Blocks--AM

Meeting with Customers—PM

Develop personal 30-Day Relationship Plan

Logistics

Questions

Concerns

“To do this well I need. . .”

Website

www.michelemmartin.com/consultative_selling Username: pwda Password: pawork

All slides and handouts

Follow-up resources/information for implementation

Questions/Issues that are coming up

Follow-up conversation

SOME BACKGROUND

To implement successfully. . .

Clearly articulated goals, priorities and outcomes

Skills & Tools

Work flow/systems

Rewarded for using consultative techniques

Time to change habits!

This training is . . .

Based on the assumption that you have and are using many of the skills it takes to create and maintain great relationships.

Part of a longer-term dialogue about what “business services” and “business engagement mean under WIOA.

An invitation to conversation about what shifts we might need to make to become more consultative.

Let’s Get Started!

Overview of Consultative SellingBuilding Blocks and Process

If you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise, you can’t focus on “closing the sale.”

You have to focus on opening the relationship.

Consultative Selling is NOT . . .

Establishing rapport and getting businesses to like us

Informing about our services

Job development

Getting customers to register in Job Gateway or sign up for an OJT.

It’s All About Them!

Relationship First

Customer Experience

Help Them Make Good Decisions

Asking the Right Questions

Become Trusted Colleague

Intentional and Strategic

Find: Needs “Hot Buttons” Trends

Provide: Help (from customer

perspective) Customized solutions Insights Opportunities

Success=Continued Engagement

Which can lead to. . .

Job development

Getting businesses to register on Job Gateway

OJTs

And a lot more!

3 Building Blocks

3 Stages

Phases of Engagement

So our KEY question is. . .

How are we using our offers and interactions to engage with our ideal customers and move them through the phases of engagement--from not knowing who we are to recommending us to other businesses and partnering with us to co-create?

Consultative Selling Stages

Plan

Interact

Ideal Customer ProfilesDeepening our Knowledge of Customer Types

“Trying to sell products and services without understanding your ideal customers is like driving with your eyes closed.”

Profiles/Personas

Describe a broad category of type of customers.

Tell a story.

Are like a “comprehensive how-to guide to reaching your ideal customers.”

Some Key Elements

Broad Description—Industry, Role in Company

Key Quotes

Unique Goals, Problems and “Hot Buttons”

Hesitations and Objections

Best ways to engage

How do these ideal customers find you?

What keeps them coming back?

Ideally. . .

Done with WIB/CareerLink staff as an OVERALL strategy.

Shared with everyone.

Reviewed/revised on ongoing basis: Same customers? Where are the new markets?

Let’s Practice!

Review your assigned profile

Discussion Questions

3 Key Insights

Create Your Own

Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet

Survey Information

Focus Groups

Interviews

How to Use

Evaluate everything according to “What would that ideal customer say/do/want?”

To plan for interviews/meetings

In strategic/operations planning

For Today. . .

Keep asking “WWRD” or WWMD”?

Stages of EngagementFrom “Who Are You?” to “I’ll Do Anything for You!”

The Hourglass

Way to look at entire customer experience.

Different messages, types of information and levels of contact for each stage.

We must be strategic for each phase.

Results

More effective interactions

Improved customer service

Improved customer engagement

The Phases

As we review. . .

Follow along on handout

Identify some of your customers at this phase

What problems/issues do customers encounter at this phase How might we be disappointing them? What concerns do they have?

Phase 1: KNOW

First impressions count!

How do customers find out about you? Are you capturing your leads?

How inviting/welcoming are your interactions, website, materials, etc.?

Phase 2: LIKE

Do you seem to “get” their issues, needs, etc.?

Do your interactions seem customized/personalized to their problems?

Have you overcome any initial negative perceptions they may have about working with a government agency?

Phase 3: TRUST

Just because they like you doesn’t mean they TRUST you!

Are you knowledgeable and credible?

Do you ask questions that make them think and that help them develop insights?

Do you provide them with resources, information, connections, materials, etc. that add value—whether or not they are related to your services?

Phase 4: TRY

What could they “sample” to entice them to actually buy?

What can we do that minimizes their investments of time and/or their perceived risks?

Phase 5:

When they’re ready to use a service—post on Job Gateway, participate in a Job Fair, work on a recruitment event.

Expectations are everything! What expectations are you setting? What are their expectations?

How are you DELIVERING on your promises and DELIGHTING customers with the experience?

Every aspect of the process will influence their opinion—can either move you forward or 3 steps back.

Phase 6: REPEAT

Use the same services?

Use new services (cross-selling)?

How are you engaging with customers to uncover new needs and respond?

How are you continuing to engage with them to connect to relevant resources, information and people—even when they aren’t currently “buying” from you?

Phase 7: REFER

How do you make it easy for them to advocate and refer?

How are you engaging them so well they are willing to invest time in planning/co-creating with you?

Let’s Practice!

3 Rachels and 3 Mikes

Remember—WWRD and WWMD

How Do We Use?

Think in terms of relationship building, not “selling”

Plan our interactions more strategically, including customer “Calls to Action”—next steps.

Plan offers for different customer types/phases of engagement.

Customer OffersFrom Services and Features to Solutions and Results

Your Offer = What You Are Selling

Newsletters, webinars, articles

Events

A conversation or meeting with you

Post a job in Job Gateway

Hire a job seeker

An Offer . . .

The Offer Has to MATTER to Them!

Messaging & Experiences Count!

What message(s) does a customer need to hear and what experiences do they need to have to move from one phase of engagement to the next?

Impact of Proper Messaging

“Would you be willing to donate?”

“Would you be willing to donate? Every little bit helps.

28% donated50% donated!

Your Offers Should . . .

Connect to ideal customer profile—(WWRD or WWMD?)

Build relationships based on phase of engagement—don’t be at “Buy” when they are at “Like”!

Identify and encourage Call to Action—”Best Next Step” Overcome “Action Paralysis” Make it EASY Make it OBVIOUS Give them tools and resources to follow up

The Traditional Offer

These are our services.

These are the features of our services.

This is how our services will benefit you.

Do you want to buy?

And that can feel . . .

Traditional Offers

Start with your services

Emphasize features and benefits , rather than solutions and results.

Usually more “generic”

Don’t always connect to customer problems, aspirations, what they value and their stage of engagement.

The Consultative Offer

This is where you’re at in the process.

These are your problems and goals.

These are your “hot buttons.”

These are the results you need/want to achieve.

How can I help?

Consultative Offers Start with customer problems and/or aspirations.

Show your interactions and services as the solution to a problem.

Paint a picture

Connect to customer “hot buttons.”

Are personalized, based on your ideal customer profiles and where the customer is at in terms of engagement.

Identify results

Are appropriate for the stage of engagement.

Ultimately, you want to . . .

Use your offers to keep them engaged and to help them make good decisions.

In consultative selling. . .

We have offers for each phase.

We have offers for different customer types.

You can create initial offers, based on phase and customer type.

You can use conversations with customers to revise existing offers and develop new ones.

Let’s Practice

Use Offer Worksheet to design some initial offers based on current services for your ideal customer (Rachel or Mike)

Work in pairs with someone who has same customer profile.

Compare: Other pairs with same profile Other pairs with different profile

Insights

How Do We Use?

Thinking in terms of offers restructures our approach—gets us thinking in terms of THEIR needs, not our own.

Plan initial offers based on customer profile and phase of engagement.

As conversation tool with customers—gives something to react to/work with in interviews.

Building Block Insights

How is what you’ve learned so far: Same as what you currently do? Different from what you currently do?

How can you apply what we’ve learned so far to your current work?

What questions do you have?

What concerns do you have?

Stages of Consultative SellingPlanning, Interacting and Follow-Up

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”

Do you plan before. . .

Attending a networking event?

Meeting with a new business customer?

Meeting with an existing business customer?

Responding to a call re: a job posting/filling a job?

Planning helps you become. . .

LESS

Reactive

Transaction-oriented

Generic

Focused on telling

MORE

Responsive

Relationship-oriented

Customized

Focused on asking

“Winging It” Won’t Work

You need clarity about. . .

Customer Profile

Phase of Engagement

Goals for your Interaction—what do you want to accomplish?

Call to Action—What next step(s)?

Power Questions you will ask

Preliminary Offers

The Power of Questions

Questions that Lack Power

Let’s Practice!

Customer Contact Planning Draw a Phase of Engagement With a partner who has the same profile, plan a meeting

with that customer to get them to the next phase. Make up any details you need to.

Get with a pair that has the same profile and compare notes.

Get with a pair that has the other profile and compare notes.

What is the same? What is different? Why?

Meeting with Your Customer

Goals for Every Interaction

Grow relationship and invite ongoing interaction.

Get deeper into their world (not make them understand our world).

Learn something new about the customer, his/her situation, needs, goals and/or trends impacting him/her.

80/20 Rule

80% 20%

Listen for . . .

Problems—Even (or especially) if they aren’t related to workforce development

Hot buttons—what they seem to most value

Aspirations and goals—personal, professional, departmental, company-wide

Expectations—what will they be looking for in their interactions with you?

What they DON’T say--Sometimes they don’t know what they don’t know.

Structure

Establish/re-establish rapport (Profile+Research+Stage of Engagement)

Get to point of meeting (based on goals/CTA)

Work through questions

Clarify agreements and expectations

Establish timeline/parameters for follow up

Close with next steps on both sides

Documenting

Pages 3-5 of Customer Contact Planning Form

Take notes while they are talking, but keep eye contact

After you leave, IMMEDIATELY review/respond to questions so you don’t forget.

Closing the Meeting

DO

Clarify all expectations and timelines

Promise (and provide!) an email summarizing discussion/agreements

Keep the relationship open—find a way to maintain engagement

DON’T

Promise anything you’re not POSITIVE you can deliver—UNDER-PROMISE and OVER-DELIVER!

Think you have to have all the answers now—NOT having all the answers allows for customization!

Let’s Practice

Get with another team that has your same profile.

One person will be the interviewer, the other will play the role of the customer.

Go through the “meeting” based on your planning. The two who are not assigned roles will be observers—look for what works/what doesn’t work. Also monitor the listening/talking ratio of both parties.

Do the same with someone who has a different profile.

Debrief

What happened?

How did it feel?

How did the customer feel?

What did you learn?

What came up as potential issues/problems?

Following UpAfter the Meeting

Two Areas for Follow-up

Customer Follow-Up

12-24 Hours: Know/Like/Trust

Personalized LinkedIn Connection request (where appropriate)

Email with useful article, resource, connection, etc.

Offer to deepen connection (where appropriate): “Learned a lot and would love to pick your brain over a cup

of coffee.” “Think you’d really enjoy meeting Jane Doe who’s dealing

with similar issues---maybe we could arrange a call with three of us to discuss XYZ.”

Know/Like/Trust Ongoing

Master the “ping”—regular contact schedule to continue/deepen the relationship.

Use LinkedIn to set reminders.

Focus on adding value according to customer perspective and values.

How are you continuing to connect and add value for this customer, even if he/she isn’t “buying?”

Try/Buy/Repeat: 12-24 Hours Are you the right solution? If not—focus on the

relationship!

Follow-up internally (where appropriate)

Email summarizing meeting and any new info Key agreements/expectations/timeline/other people Next steps, including planned next communication

Provide customer with user-friendly documents/materials that can make execution go more smoothly.

Execute—make sure that what needs to happen is happening.

Try/Buy/Repeat Execution

Don’t disappear!

Monitor what’s happening internally and pro-actively identify and communicate about problems. Tell about problem AND solution at same time. Use “We can do better” language, not “Blame” language.

Call first-time users of a service What worked? What didn’t work? How can we do better?

Do relationship repair when customers are disappointed

Try/Buy/Repeat Ongoing

How can you maintain contact with customer even when they aren’t “buying” from you right now?

How can you deepen the relationship—what step are they now ready for?

Let’s Practice

In pairs, discuss what follow up you would do after your customer interview.

Talk with another pair about their follow-up—what’s the same? What’s different?

Following Up on Learning

Customer Learning Builds Relationships!

Demonstrates empathy and understanding of their business.

Can become new source of credibility and “insider knowledge”

Creates new service and engagement opportunities.

Consultative Selling=Customer Learning

What did we learn about that individual customer that should be used in future interactions?

What did we learn about that individual customer that indicates they need something other than our services?

What are we learning about trends and issues ACROSS customers? New needs/challenges New goals/aspirations Trends in hiring/training Trends in business, industry

Regular Conversations About. . .

What are we learning?

What does this tell us about: Changes to customer profile(s) or focus on new markets? Issues with stages of engagement? Issues with execution? Need for new connections? New opportunities?

Share Information with. . .

WIB/CareerLink staff

Partners

Customers! “Here’s what we’re learning from our customers” “This is what we’re hearing from healthcare providers” “We asked and you responded!”

Your 30-Day Relationship PlanAfter the Meeting

In consultative selling. . .

Establish relationships (Know/Like/Trust)

Maintain relationships (Trust/Try/Buy)

Deepen relationships (Repeat/Refer)

Your Plan

Refer to individuals you identified during the Stages of Customer Engagement exercise.

Identify 2-3 individuals to: Establish Maintain Deepen

Identify goals/strategies

What Are Your Take Aways?

What is ONE thing you will do?