What a Salesperson Does Today

Selling is helping someone decide

A salesperson helps a customer make a buying decision. In a simple sale, such as a box of printer paper, the customer already knows what they need. The salesperson only makes the purchase easy. In a complex sale, such as a new maintenance contract or a training programme for 200 staff, the customer is not sure what they need, who should decide, or what it is worth. Here the salesperson does much more: they help the customer understand the problem, compare options and reach a decision that the whole organisation can support.

This course is about the second kind of sale. It is called consultative selling, because the salesperson works more like a consultant than a presenter.

What the salesperson actually spends time on

• Finding customers — looking for organisations that may have the problem you solve.
• Preparing — learning about the customer before you meet them.
• Talking with customers — asking questions, listening and explaining.
• Working inside your own organisation — getting prices, technical answers and approvals.
• Recording and following up — keeping notes and doing what you promised.

Only part of the job is talking. A good salesperson manages all five activities.

Two workplace examples

Example 1. Samir sells safety training. A construction company calls and asks for a price for a two-day course. Samir could send the price at once. Instead he asks why they want the course now. He learns that the company had two near misses at height last month and a client audit is coming. The real need is not "a course". It is "show the client we control work at height". Samir now offers a course plus a short site check, which fits the real need better.

Example 2. Leyla sells warehouse software. A logistics manager says, "We need a new system." Leyla asks what is wrong with the current one. The answer is that stock counts are wrong every month. Leyla learns that the cause is poor scanning discipline, not the software. She is honest about this, and the manager trusts her more.