Do XEROX salespeople always sell the XEROX way?

The answer, of course, is yes, except that .... the XEROX way of today bears no resemblance to the XEROX method of 30 years ago! Beyond the sales school that made many a salesman dream, salespeople have to adapt to a new environment, a context in which prospects, competitors, exchanges, tools and suppliers have all changed significantly, reshaping the way they do this job, which is key to a company's survival.

If XEROX's sales teams occupy a special place in the collective unconscious (that of a model of efficiency and performance complementing its sales strategy), it's because the company, in its sales management, was a pioneer in formalizing the sales process, moving from the intuitive approach of the sales representative to the structured, reproducible approach of the salesperson. But also because it knew how to adapt! To understand what this profession requires today, let's draw inspiration from the practices of the best salespeople we work with all year round, who show us how to maintain their level of performance in the age of multi-channel sales.

With "consultative selling" methods, the salesperson would focus the entire conversation on understanding the customer's issues, and gradually build the link with the products/services he or she could offer. 

The salesperson's objective, through questioning (with the famous "open-ended questions"), was to identify the need and propose the solution to rapidly validate the sale.

In 2017, customers no longer necessarily turn to the sales channel to understand their needs and find solutions , but to the Internet, supplier and professional networks, trade shows, etc. They have direct, easy access to numerous sources of information and offers. Prospects can therefore look for comparative elements, form their own ideas and define their needs independently, at their own pace and whenever they want. So what is the value of the salesperson in this context, and in his or her interactions with the customer?

Bring a unique point of view and convictions

To boost sales performance, salespeople need to adopt a posture that is less focused on the products they have to sell, and more on sincere, detached listening. Today, for customers to accept support, salespeople need to understand the challenges they face in their own markets. He needs to go up a level to understand how the customer seeks to maintain and improve his position in his market environment. This implies an economic understanding of sectoral trends, in order to challenge the customer's vision.

Through an open, conviction-driven discussion, the salesperson will build an approach designed to offer a point of view on the market, share potential risks identified in the sector, and help the customer consider alternatives. In other words, salespeople must always master the tools of dialogue to build a rich and open conversation, but also to strengthen their ability to support their customers in making the best investment choices.

The good salesperson will seek to learn more about his prospect's environment, provide food for thought, and become an advisor challenging established positions. Their primary horizon is no longer their own commercial objectives, but their ability to offer innovative, offbeat points of view to help their customers make the best choices.

Adding value

The direct consequence of this posture is that sales people are encouraged to add more value, making their job more rewarding.

In a complex environment, where employees in purchasing situations are unable to analyze and have an expert vision of every subject, today's sales person must be able to position himself as a resource capable of helping them, and pushing them, to help them make the right decisions! This is how the profession is evolving. The new-generation salesperson is moving towards an approach in which he or she achieves his or her objectives because they are the consequence of his or her advisory and expert action to capture the customer's attention. Since the salesperson is no longer the only point of entry for the prospect, it's vital that he or she focuses on what he or she brings to the table. Don't forget that a 3-minute demonstration video will always have more impact than a sales pitch.

To achieve this, salespeople must be able to change their way of seeing and doing things, broaden their scope in order to provide their prospects with relevant, well-argued advice. And if they can anticipate market trends and give their prospects a head start, they've won!

Clearly, the job is becoming more comprehensive and complex. It requires mastery of traditional methods in terms of organization, rigor, discipline, mentality, pace, knowledge and technical mastery (the interview stages remain a common thread), but it also requires the ability to activate differentiated responses and points of view adapted to the buyer. The salespeople who achieve lasting success are those who have been able to focus on the customer's interests, making them successful in their own market.

How are your sales people going to develop these new skills? A long-term change management approach is needed to strengthen your teams and enable them to become a decisive differentiating factor in your multi-channel go-to-market.