Consulting – The Difference Between The Vendor and the Adviser

My book is finally with the publisher, ready to print. As I look back over months of research, writing, editing, illustrating, and seeking feedback, I am more and more aware of how important it is for sales people to come to the meeting with value that exceeds pure product feature knowledge, or worse, the mindset that they are there simply to maintain a relationship while the heavy lifting is done by the presales technical team. One key differentiator is your ability to act consultatively. Armed with a knowledge of the business and expertise in facilitating discussion that leads to discovery and ultimately, ideas to improve the situation. The technical details can then be ironed out by technical teams that specialize in various products and technology.

This Friday I will be going in to some detail on a free webinar – taking a look at the four things buyers buy, the two that make the most sense, but then taking this a step further to show how sales people adopt these areas of specialization when working in specific markets, or with specific technologies. This session is sold out, but consider getting on the waiting list as some may not be able to make it. http://thingsbuyersbuy.eventbrite.com/