CHAPTER 11

From Transactional to Consultative

There are basically two ways to sell—to be consultative or to be transactional. And which approach is most appropriate will depend on several factors, including the nature of the product or service you are providing and the needs of your prospects and clients. By way of a quick example, if a company is selling a data warehousing software, it is more of a strategic sale than someone who is providing off-the-shelf software security software for a home computer.

But it is often not just this simple.

Jim Dickie, managing partner at CSO Insights, explains, “We were just working with a paper company. So that seems like a straightforward transactional sale, right? They’re providing 24 pound white recyclable ...

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