Sales methodologies play an important role in the nearly every selling situation. It is a common approach that allows salespeople to follow a consistent structure, understand best practices and accelerate learning. The specific sales methodology is only relevant to the buying and selling situations of any individual company as everyone needs to tailor their sales motions to their markets, industries etc. Nothing in sales stands still so salespeople must constantly absorb information on with new products, trends, competitors and importantly changing buyer preferences and influencers on their decisions. So, you could say that a sales methodology involves the application of fundamental sales skills and processes by salespeople. It emphasizes the importance of discovering, communicating, and delivering business value consistently across the entire buyer’s journey. However, for them to be effective, it’s essential every salesperson fully understands and adopts them. No matter which of the sales methodologies you select for your business, selling is and will always require 1) Patience 2) Consistency and Communication 3) Beneficial touch points 4) Comprehensive approach with value propositions 5) Bringing real value 6) Commitments to act One of the simplest sales methodologies is the three T’s: Teach the customer something valuable, enough to motivate them to act, Tailor the sales engagement to each particular customer and situation, and Take control of the conversations by gain commitments to move forward (otherwise get out of there!). Sales Methodology Training – Why you need it. OK, we can now say that the primary role of a sales methodology is that it provides a common language throughout the sales organization. When a sales methodology has been effectively implemented, salespeople, managers and executives all understand the selling motions and concepts adopted by the company. This helps everyone communicate and measure their progress on a sale based on deal potential and qualification criteria of an opportunity. The success of sales methodologies is usually determined by how well every salesperson is trained on it and by how much the sales methodology is consistently used by salespeople in the sales process. In today’s noisy and highly competitive landscape, to get a customer to listen, to get on their calendar, keep their attention, win deals, and build loyalty, salespeople need to understand and deliver what today’s buyers want. Business and by default sales success depends on: • Knowing and Knowledge. Buyers expect you to understand their business, markets, direction, challenges, processes, and relationship history. • Provide real value. Every single interaction is evaluated to determine if it is worth the time or effort. Buyers want ideas, insights, leadership, and guidance to assess if the effort is worth the reward. Buying and I mean all buying is a change management issue, does changing makes sense? • Make buying easy. Salespeople are expected to provide what buyers need, when they want it, and how they want it, quickly. Sales methodologies that have been adopted. While there are various sales stages, using sales methodologies as guidelines can better prepare your teams to navigate through the selling process. The Challenger Sale This sales methodology tells us that there are five types of salespeople. Namely, the Challenger, the Hard Worker, the Lone Wolf, the Relationship Builder, and the Problem Solver. It tells us that these set of profiles can be used to determine how salespeople (or even the company) interact with customers. A method where each salesperson teaches the prospect something about their business, tailors their pitch to match the customer concerns, and takes control of the sales process. The challenger approach is for salespeople to understand what brings customers value and leverage that information to deliver a hard-hitting pitch. This sales methodology is not about relationship building and works best in disruptive technologies and highly skilled salespeople.   SPIN Selling The term “SPIN” stands for the four different types of questions salespeople address with potential customers through this method: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need/Payoff. It became popular in the in 90’s and early 2000’s mainly in larger companies. Oracle used this sales methodology.  It is mainly deployed in sales situations involving key accounts, high value ticket items or the more “complex sale”. Situation: Understanding the prospect’s situation at the moment. This can be conducted through a questionnaire, a call, or a meeting. Problem: This is where sales reps can dig into the actual prospect’s issues. Implication: Sales representatives run a series of questions to the prospect so that the latter can explore the consequences of not solving their issues. Need-payoff: In this step, the prospect considers how the resolution of their problem could help change their situation. SPECS SPECS is another of the sales methodologies. The term SPECS means Status, Problem, Effect, Confirmation and Solution. Status (understand your buyer types, markets, current vendors etc) Problem (where is the pain, is the pain accepted etc)   Effect (problem impact, objection handling, build trust, considered sales conversations) Confirmation (Yes commitment bond, motivated to act, clear steps) Solution (confirming and closing the sale) SNAP Sales Methodology The SNAP sales methodology which stands for: Keep it Simple: Salespeople must make it clear to prospects how their solution can change their current situation (the status quo). Be invaluable: Theen showcase the value and make it easy for the product or service at stake to stand out. Always Align: It all comes down to aligning business objectives with core beliefs. Salespeople need to persuade people to work with them. Raise Priorities: Buyers have priorities. Salespeople need to tap into these priorities and get on the buyer’s priority list. Sandler Another of the popular sales methodologies is the Sandler selling system. This system focuses on creating genuine, mutually beneficial relationships between the salesperson and the customer. It leans towards a collaborative approach with salespeople acting more as trusted advisors than traditional salespeople. The seven steps every sales rep should follow with the Sandler methodology are: Bonding and rapport building: During this stage, open and honest communication between the seller and the prospect is encouraged. Up-front contracts: Establishing roles and expectations is what comes next. It’sSales Methodologies and How To Use Them