{"id":6711,"date":"2020-05-29T07:48:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T12:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/?p=6711"},"modified":"2020-12-19T22:27:24","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T03:27:24","slug":"cannot-close-that-sale-check-out-problem-centric-selling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/cannot-close-that-sale-check-out-problem-centric-selling\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannot Close that Sale? Check-out Problem-centric Selling!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nowadays, sales reps who get to close the sale are those sales reps who get to discover the customer\u2019s real problems. With life getting <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-6714\" src=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic1-Problem-centric-Selling-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic1-Problem-centric-Selling-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic1-Problem-centric-Selling-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic1-Problem-centric-Selling-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic1-Problem-centric-Selling.jpeg 1880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>more hectic and people always on the rush, customers only prefer to spend more on the phone with sales teams who<em><strong> \u201cgets it.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> These are the sales reps who do not only get to discover the customer\u2019s real problem but also get to help them problem-solve in new ways.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, a great number of salespersons miss closing the sale and reaching their quotas. In fact, in 2018, Salesforce found that more than 57% of sales representatives are expected to miss quotas for the year. This can be a challenge more so with organizations developing resolutions that revolve around increasing sales metrics and implementing new technologies.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/problem-centric-selling-4144\">traditional method of selling<\/a> is not enough anymore today. The first thing a client needs or wants does not necessarily solve the core problem. A new method is now necessary that will require salespeople to first diagnose the real problem before coming up with the solution. This comes with a new <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/stream\/customer-centric-design\">Customer-centric Design<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>The Future of Sales: The Upcoming Trends Salespeople Must Watch Out For<\/h2>\n<p>A survey was conducted on more than 2,900 sales professionals worldwide. As a result of the survey, 5 Top Trends were revealed that are shaping up the world of sales. Two of these Top 5 Trends are changing sales mandate and the emergence of a Data-driven Sales Playbook.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trend 1:<\/strong> As sales mandate change, teams are falling short of rising customer expectations. Technology is changing expectations on how companies should interact with consumers. It is now the salespeople who are on the frontline who are carrying the onus to deliver when customers demand more personalized consultative engagement. As a result, customer satisfaction has become the most-tracked sales Key Performance Indicator.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trend 2:<\/strong> A Data-driven Sales Playbook is emerging. The ingenuity of salespeople with data-driven insights have been amplified. With the richness of data available, this has led to more effective methods of lead prioritization and forecasting.\u00a0 There is now an increasing need for sales reps to prioritize leads based on data analysis rather than on intuition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The effect of these Top 5 Trends has further been amplified with the increasing number of missed sales. Today, the traditional method of selling just does not work anymore.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Approach\u00a0\u00a0to Selling: A Problem-centric Selling<\/h2>\n<p>The traditional method of selling is focused on determining the prospects\u2019 needs. This does not work anymore as the first thing a client needs or wants does not necessarily solve their core problems. There is now the need to shift to <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/problem-centric-selling-4144\">Problem-centric Selling<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Problem-centric Selling is an approach that diagnoses problems with as much specificity as possible. Often, the real problem is not well articulated by the potential buyer. With Problem-centric Selling, the specific customer needs are well identified thus enabling salespeople to better offer the right product or service.\u00a0 It is thus important to integrating the philosophy of Problem-centric Selling into your <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/business-toolkit\/sales-strategy\">Sales Management<\/a> approach.<\/p>\n<p>The Problem-centric Selling is anchored on 5 core elements.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/problem-centric-selling-4144\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6715\" src=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic-2-Problem-centric-Selling.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"962\" height=\"722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic-2-Problem-centric-Selling.png 962w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic-2-Problem-centric-Selling-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/pic-2-Problem-centric-Selling-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 962px) 100vw, 962px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Problem diagnosis starts with knowing and understanding your customer and their problems. This is where the first core element is centered on: <strong>Know the key facts about the customer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Salespeople must be able to get a description of the environment of which the buyer works, the processes they use, the structure of the organization, the tools they have, the current goals of the business, and other information about the buyer and the business. The facts gathered must go beyond the basic name, size of the company, and the industry the business is in. This way, the salesperson can get to establish the context for where the customers\u2019 problems lie.<\/p>\n<p>The other 4 Core Elements are essentially important in guiding every salesperson to master the Problem-centric Approach and hit that sale with a successful deal.<\/p>\n<p>Interested in gaining more understanding of <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/problem-centric-selling-4144\">Problem-centric Selling<\/a>? You can learn more and download an <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/problem-centric-selling-4144\">editable PowerPoint about <strong>Problem-centric Selling<\/strong> here on the Flevy documents marketplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Do You Find Value in This Framework?<\/h2>\n<p>You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/pro\/library\">FlevyPro Library<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/pro\">FlevyPro<\/a> is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here&#8217;s what some have to say:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today\u2019s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;As a small business owner, the resource material available from FlevyPro has proven to be invaluable. The ability to search for material on demand based our project events and client requirements was great for me and proved very beneficial to my clients. Importantly, being able to easily edit and tailor the material for specific purposes helped us to make presentations, knowledge sharing, and toolkit development, which formed part of the overall program collateral. While FlevyPro contains resource material that any consultancy, project or delivery firm must have, it is an essential part of a small firm or independent consultant&#8217;s toolbox.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight \u2013 it&#8217;s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Several times a month, I browse FlevyPro for presentations relevant to the job challenge I have (I am a consultant). When the subject requires it, I explore further and buy from the Flevy Marketplace. On all occasions, I read them, analyze them. I take the most relevant and applicable ideas for my work; and, of course, all this translates to my and my clients&#8217; benefits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\u2013 Omar Hern\u00e1n Montes Parra, CEO at Quantum SFE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nowadays, sales reps who get to close the sale are those sales reps who get to discover the customer\u2019s real problems. With life getting more hectic and people always on the rush, customers only prefer to spend more on the phone with sales teams who \u201cgets it.\u201d These are the sales reps who do not&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/cannot-close-that-sale-check-out-problem-centric-selling\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Cannot Close that Sale? Check-out Problem-centric Selling!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":6714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[1683,2013,2012],"class_list":["post-6711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy","tag-customer-centric-design","tag-problem-centric-selling","tag-traditional-method-of-selling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6711"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8003,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6711\/revisions\/8003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}