Assessing Customer Needs

Classic Consultative Selling: A Case Study

The customer may think they know what they want you to do, but all they can really know is what they want, and they may not be the same.

Is That Really How Your Customers See You?

Don't be afraid to hear what your customers truly think of you.

High-ticket vs Low-ticket Selling

There are at least four major differences between low–ticket and high–ticket selling. Understanding these differences is crucial to operating effectively in today's competitive sales environment.

"Customerized" Selling

Of all the mistakes a salesperson can make, the most deadly might be making assumptions.

Enter the CSO

In the era of "customer first" business strategies, winning companies must adopt a "full organizational commitment" to managing account. Analyst Jim Dickie argues that this commitment requires the guiding hand of a Chief Sales Officer.

Three Ways to Talk Yourself Out of a Sale

Selling isn't about pushing a product. It's about engineering a fit between what you have to offer and the image of the solution that sits somewhere in the customer's mind. You need to dig out that image. Here's why.

Ley's Pyramid of Wants

The author of The Best Seller puts a sales spin on Abraham Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs by describing a buyer's hierarchy of wants.

The Risk Factor

Learn why delivering a sense of security is a factor in most sales.

Seeing With Your Customer's Eyes

Not understanding your client's situation can make you appear insensitive, and may cost you in bottom-line earnings. Knowing your customer's business and situation can be beneficial in the long run.

The Bulk of the Iceberg

Sales negotiator Gary Karrass talks about getting beyond price to focus on customer "satisfiers."

Four Personality Styles

Personality models, their needs, and how to work with them.

Why People Really Buy

Understanding your customers' buying process makes you a much smarter and more successful seller.

Focus on Customers Results: Three Clues to Good Selling

Customers are always looking for results. If they think you can provide them with the results they need, they will want to hear about your product. This article talks about the three areas you, as a salesperson, need to focus.

Logical Selling

Three kinds of thinking go into a decision. They include understanding the situation, generating alternatives, and selecting one of the alternatives.

Doing it Right

Truly listening to what your customers want to achieve and helping them succeed can create a unique partnership. Allowing the customer to do most of the talking fosters more win-win relationships, and in the end, more business. Diane Sanchez, Stephen E. Heiman, and Tad Tuleja, March 31, 1999