Smarter Selling

Smarter Selling and IOWEU™

Differentiation is a key to winning work in today’s competitive markets. Differentiation on technical features and quality is often hard to prove. Consequently, price becomes predominant. So, how can you differentiate your product or service, build long term customer loyalty and avoid the price trap?

The answer lies in focusing on the way sales are conducted and your product or service is delivered. The most difficult part is knowing how to do it.

IOWEU™ is a genuine, new approach that helps salespeople, consultants and professionals develop sustainable and trusted business relationships. It challenges the way that people sell or maybe more accurately the way that salespeople "push". At some point, most of us have been on the receiving end of "push" selling. It doesn't feel good. And, in today's world of choice, it doesn't work either.

The old way		The new way
U Owe Me. I have the product or service that you need and I have the technical data, value proposition, objection handling strategies and closing techniques to convince you to buy – to win. I've done my research and I've rehearsed my sales pitch 100's of times. I've worked hard at this - I want that order. U Owe Me.		IoweU. I want to help you achieve your goals, using my knowledge, experience and networks. oWe collaborate, agreeing at all times on the best way forward - with or without my direct involvement. U are giving me your time; information about your needs and goals; and hopefully, at some point, you will give me some business. As a consequence IoweU.

Who it’s for

IOWEU™ is designed for anyone who wants to develop relationships which are long-term, trust-based and beneficial to both parties. It is ideal for professional services, consulting situations and complex or high-value sales. It applies equally to internal support functions such as Finance, HR and Marketing and external customer and client-facing groups.

IOWEU™ has important messages and practical benefits if you have:

• A direct need to sell ideas, products or services, internally or externally

• Responsibility for a team or organisation that needs to sell

• A desire to improve your own ability to develop deep business relationships

• A need to improve relationships within a team or organisations

Workshops - Format and Content

Workshops vary from a half-day introduction to key concepts, to a 3-day option that includes concepts, live-practice, video review and the application of IOWEU™ to key target buyers. IOWEU™ can also be delivered as a coaching program, customised to each individual.

You will be shown how to treat each buyer as unique and how to approach each buyer differently - how to respond credibly and create impact "in the moment" through intelligent questioning - always retaining a focus on what is best for the buyer, as opposed to what's best for the seller.

Through the process, you’ll see that there is a better way to sell - a way that builds sustainable, trust-based relationships.

The full spectrum of IOWEU™ learning incorporates the following elements:

• Identifying potential customers/clients on the basis of the target's preferred buying criteria - to ensure maximum benefit from limited sales time

• Qualifying the type and quality of existing buyer relationships and learning how to improve them

• Identifying different buyer types and the roles they play in the sales process - and how to influence them

• Understanding each participant's own natural behaviours using the Octagon™ behavioural assessment tool (or similar tool) - and how their behaviour impacts others in the sales process

• Using I We U to establish rapport and build trust during telephone or face-to-face conversations

• Adopting the SHAPE™ questioning approach to demonstrate broad interest in buyer's situation, establish real needs and envision desired futures - without inflicting unnecessary pain

• Using Spicy Questions and Focus-5 to make the conversation more interesting - and memorable - for both buyer and seller

• Using the Value Sheet tool to focus on buyer needs rather than the seller's products and/or services

• Agreeing next steps and gaining commitment through the use of CC Letters

• Avoiding the folly of long formal proposals that eat time and do not win work

• Gaining the advantage in formal presentation situations