book.chapter Customer centric selling defined

Selling products or services has traditionally been about a salesperson delivering a prepared pitch that focuses on extolling the features and supposed benefits of what they're offering. However, Customer-Centric Selling (CCS) presents a fundamentally different approach to this process. With CCS, the role of the salesperson shifts from being a presenter to a guide, assisting potential buyers in visualizing how they could use the offering to achieve a goal, solve a specific problem, or satisfy a need. This approach transforms the traditional one-way sales pitch into a two-way dialogue, where both the buyer and seller collaborate to accomplish something beneficial. CCS is built on seven core tenets that emphasize the importance of situational conversations over canned presentations, the value of asking pertinent questions rather than offering opinions, and the focus on devising optimal solutions rather than stressing the relationship. It also highlights the effectiveness of targeting decision-makers over current users, relating product usage to goals rather than reciting features, monitoring salesperson progress for insights rather than tracking activity, and enabling buyers to meet objectives rather than persuading them to purchase. Expanding on these tenets, CCS introduces thirteen key concepts that further define its approach. These concepts include the idea that salespeople get delegated to people they resemble, meaning problem solvers reach decision-makers more effectively than stereotypical sellers. They emphasize that professionals should diagnose before prescribing, and that people prefer to buy from sincere, competent individuals who empower them. The concepts also cover the importance of building reciprocal business relationships based on practical advice, the futility of selling to those without authority, and the value of presenting negative information early. They suggest that admitting goals can be easier than confessing problems, that letting people convince themselves facilitates buy-in, and that helping is more effective than lecturing as an expert. Additionally, these concepts assert that only buyers can recognize solutions, that differentiation should only be sought after establishing credibility and fit, that buying decisions are emotional with logic applied retrospectively, and that buyers should only be asked to purchase once certain milestones have been achieved. At its core, CCS involves structuring sales interactions as intelligent conversations that convey relevant messages to potential clients. This approach typically involves several milestones, including establishing the goal, problem, or need; determining if the seller can truly address those; and preparing to disengage if that is not feasible. This shift from traditional sales techniques has profound implications, as it rests on organizing sales around empowering dialogues rather than one-sided pitches. Michael Bosworth and John Holland, pioneers of CCS, observed that many consider selling an innate art form mastered by a gifted few with an effortless touch. However, they argue that most sellers do not possess such natural talent and that dismissing selling as an unteachable art form breeds complacency in improving. They propose that the key skills of gifted sellers can be analyzed, codified, and embedded into processes, allowing even traditional salespeople to evolve more customer-centric behaviors and achieve better, more consistent results. According to Bosworth and Holland, effective sellers set out to help buyers accomplish something substantive from the outset, prepared to withdraw if that looks implausible. This approach diverges fundamentally from the customary sales doctrine of maximizing conversions regardless but yields superior outcomes by laying robust foundations before asking for commitments. CCS is a philosophy of structuring sales interactions around assisting buyers in achieving their goals. This ethos permeates processes, messaging, and behaviors, with results stemming from an organizational commitment to the customer-centric ideology rather than any specific techniques. Sellers focused on facilitating buyers’ success will naturally adopt practices reflecting that priority, manifesting in how sales teams approach engaging with potential clients. In practice, this usually translates into a series of milestones, each representing progress: determining the buyer’s particular goals and situation, how the offering can specifically help the buyer, buyer cost justification, post-purchase plans, the seller’s ability to deliver, organizational sign-off needs, and buyer readiness to decide. The customer-centric doctrine stresses only asking for business once those foundations are built, not pushing for premature commitments. This approach delays closing but ensures sales are based on informed mutual understanding, reducing fallout. Therefore, CCS is more than just a sales technique; it's a comprehensive philosophy for structuring sales around helping buyers accomplish substantive goals. It involves an organizational commitment to customer-centric ideologies that shape processes, messaging, and behaviors. With the right principles and priorities in place, optimal practices naturally follow, focusing on enabling buyers to achieve their objectives. The results derive from this overarching sales ethos, not from any narrow techniques, making selling about facilitating buyer success rather than maximizing seller conversions.