Seller vs. Trusted Advisor
In a study conducted by the Washington Post, Joshua Bell, “one of the finest violinists alive” walked into a subway station dressed in jeans and a baseball cap—during rush hour—and played his $3.5 million Stradivarius violin for 43 minutes. The vast majority on the platform that day didn't notice and he collected approximately $32 for his efforts. Just days before, tickets to one of his performances in Boston went for $100 per seat. Of the 1,097 people who passed him, only a few paid him any attention.
Why? According to the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post feature, Context: Their perception was not of a concert violinist, but of a street musician.
If people do not stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, is it possible that overworked executives could hear the best product sales presentation and not care?
Have you considered how/if your salespeople put your product offering in context to Buyers who are trying to achieve a goal, solve a problem or satisfy a need?
If your salespeople offer value statements, could the Buyer discount what the salesperson says just like they discount the value of a street musician, as the context of the salesperson is that of a seller vs. trusted advisor?
When meeting with new customers, would it better help the Buyer recognize the value of your offering if the salesperson refrained from acting like a seller by making generic value statements but instead acted like a trusted advisor by enabling the Buyer to convince themselves: By the Salesperson using diagnostic questions, based on the best sales practices of your top performers, to help the Buyer determine the problems and costs to their operations in the absence of having your capabilities and then offered usage scenarios to help the buyer visualise how they will solve their problem with your capabilities?
If the public’s filter is that music in the subway or value statements by salespeople are not worth listening to, could they continue to not notice when the music or product is better than usual? If so, Joshua, “one of the finest violinists alive”, only made $32 after performing in front of 1,097 people, are the value statements of salespeople producing similar returns?
To continue this discussion, feel free to contact me
Authored by Michael Harris, Business Partner, CustomerCentric Selling
