At some point through a sales process, something has to get on paper. After it's on paper, then ideally you want to get all parties to agree as to what's on that paper. The simple example is that if I go to Chick-fil-A and I place an order, what's on my receipt should match what I ordered. All the "my pleasure's" are a bonus. In the consultative sales process, there is a give and take between client and consultant on exactly what service is being provided and to what degree (i.e., scope). The more you talk, the more risk there is of offering advice for free. The more you put on paper, the less chance there is of "disconnects in communication." Consultative selling is hard because it's a lot of work to articulate what you think and what you think the client is thinking into communication that gets both parties to agree. On top of that, you have to inject a point of view which means that you may have to actually think. ...
Management | Consulting | Leadership | Strategy