Guided Selling

Guided Selling is a process by which a sales rep guides customers through the process of deciding what they want to buy and then helps them find it. Throughout the process, salespeople work hand-in-hand with potential buyers to bring them the products or services that best suit their needs. This kind of sales methodology is nothing new and can be applied across nearly every type and category of selling within both B2B and B2C environments. If you've ever been to a retail store in a shopping mall, you’ll almost certainly have experienced it.

To utilize and be successful with guided selling, sales teams must first understand exactly what it is, then learn to use it, and finally adopt the tactics, techniques, and technology required to remain successful in it.

How guided selling works?

In today’s digital world, there are numerous competitive products providing the same services. All these competitive markets, with extensive marketing content, generate a mass amount of information freely available for customers. Buyers are easily and quickly overwhelmed with all the data. This huge amount of information, which can be both honest and dishonest, may lead a buyer down a path towards a product that is not the best for them.

Guided selling remedies this by connecting the buyer with a genuine consultant that delivers to them the products and services that are the best possible fit for their needs.

Firstly, before using this methodology the sales rep should have an extensive understanding of the product - for honestly consulting the buyer.

• Understand consumer needs: Guided selling starts with understanding consumer needs in a need-oriented, interactive conversation. Ask them questions about their preferences, wants, and what value they are looking for. This approach is a great way for you to understand the factors that matter to your customers and create a more personalized experience that lasts beyond the moment of purchase.
• Sell on value, rather than price: Guided Selling solutions can integrate contextualized information to help users understand the full impact of their choices and further assist them in their decision-making process. The buyer might not be interested in all the features of your product, so avoid over-explaining the value that the buyer is not interested in. Focus on engaging the buyer around the value he is looking for. This will present you with opportunities to sell on value, rather than price and upsell without being pushy.
• Recommend suitable solutions: Guided Selling solutions analyze the users’ inputs to generate tailored recommendations dynamically. Buyers don’t have to shift through dozens of products to discover the ones that may come into question but instead can concentrate their focus on a selection of products that are relevant to their needs.