Friends of mine recently had a spat while on vacation in Arizona. They were lost, without cell service, on a winding, cliff-hanging dirt road. One was trying to navigate using an old, outdated map, giving best guesses for upcoming turns to take, while the other drove, white-knuckled, combatting his fear of heights.
This is similar to old selling methods. Your sales team might pitch one product, then try another, until they narrow down to what their customer actually wants. They risk getting lost and having unhappy customers.
On the other hand, there is today’s guided selling. Guided selling, a staple feature in configure price quote software, is like having access to GPS. Customers are able to determine the exact product they want with customized features and clarity into pricing.
Learn more about Powertrak Guided Selling software from Axonom.
Here’s more information about how using guided selling can help your sales team boost their numbers and improve performance.
- Creates accurate pricing. Guided selling helps your sales team provide accurate pricing when working with customers. As they walk clients through options and the price points of different features, the pricing changes accordingly. Both the sales rep and customer can be assured about the accuracy of the cost, including bulk discounts or other special pricing.
- Improves price transparency. Guided selling helps improve price transparency to customers as well. If the end user is logged into your guided selling software, building a product and viewing correlating prices, they are assured that the price won’t be inflated later or have extra costs tacked on. That helps improve their confidence and likelihood to buy.
- Guides the right purchase. Guided selling helps customers pick the right product. Guided-Selling.org, an editorial specializing in innovative decision making, says that “choosing between different products can be physically exhausting, and too many choices will make it difficult for customers to make a decision. When you're recommending the most suitable products, you are actually making it easier for them.” Guided selling provides clear direction towards a product that best meets their needs.
- Ensures products are compatible. For complex purchases, guided selling helps customers know that products are compatible with each other. If your salesperson is selling water filtration systems, customers can view the related filters that work with the system. Guided selling helps customers view what components work together, increasing confidence in suitability and more likely to result in a purchase.
- Supports better sales efficiency. Guided selling tools improve sales efficiency. They automatically update options and prices, omitting the need for bids to be emailed back and forth with price changes. For example, a product configurator is a guided selling tool with a built-in step-by-step questionnaire. It encourages sales teams to analyze customer needs and guides them through product choices, quickly and accurately. Salespeople who work more efficiently have more time to sell.
- Provides opportunities to upsell or cross-sell. Sales teams are better able to show customers options for products' grades and what price differences are. If a salesperson is selling custom countertops, she could provide pricing about a granite upgrade or complementary backsplash. Guided selling helps sales teams boost their numbers by upselling or cross-selling related products.
- Helps prove differentiators. Customers have a number of vendors to choose from. Guided selling helps your sales team better show differentiators from the competition. "There is always something that makes your business stand apart from others," writes Megan Totka, Chief Editor of ChamberofCommerce.com. "Focus and advocate for those differentiators – this is one of many ways to attract new business."
- Builds trust with customers. When customers select exactly what they want with guided selling, and the product is delivered to them per their specifications, that experience builds trust. Whether they order gym equipment for a fitness center or digital racks for an office, when customers receive what they ordered, customer satisfaction and trust result – along with an increased likelihood of future sales.
- Speeds ordering. Guided selling allows customers to clearly see options and make quick, informed decisions. The faster they can decide, the sooner customers will order. Faster orders allow your sales team to sell more.
- Earns repeat business and referrals. Accurate pricing, knowing differentiators and feeling confident in purchases improves the customer experience. A happy customer is more likely to give your company repeat business and refer others to your company. Your sales team can sell more with repeat business and referrals.
Make sure that your sales team doesn’t get lost on the old-school sales road, offering different options until they hit upon the right price and options for their customers. Instead, consider guided selling tools that help your sales team sell more. From ensuring product compatibility to accurately pricing different features, guided selling is a valuable tool for sales teams and can boost your team’s numbers.
Upgrade your figurative "paper map" to a "GPS" with a product configurator that supports guided selling with tailored quotes, 3D visual configurations, drag-and-drop functionality and more.