Let’s face it – you recognize a sales pitch when you hear one. The overly constructed content and rehearsed delivery make the hidden agenda plain as day. You and your clients can smell it a mile away. Your pain points may be articulated in the infomercial-esque dialogue. However, being pitched at without any interaction around the problem we’re trying to solve can feel dehumanizing. The truth is, pitching clients often does more harm than good to the potential of a sale.
By contrast, Conversational Selling focuses on building a relationship with potential customers through personalized conversations. We engage in two-sided conversations without relying on a scripted pitch. This approach allows prospects to feel more comfortable and connected to the experience.
Set the stage for the sales relationship by disarming your client.
Listen up! When you engage in a human-to-human interaction, you kick suspicion to the curb that you’re just there to push your widget of the day. Oh no, not you! You ask those smart questions and listen closely to the customer’s responses.
By tailoring the conversation to their needs, concerns, and goals, your offer becomes as relevant as ever. But guess what? It’s not just about making that sale and boosting your sales tally. No way! You position yourself as someone who’s sharp, attentive, and ready to connect them with solutions that lead to their success, not yours. That’s how you work it in the marketing game!
Every business is in the service business. Conversational selling is a powerful tool to improve your client’s experience.
If your solution happens to be a bit complex or a real investment, you better believe that a series of conversations is gonna be a key part of your sales process. Oh yeah, you heard me right! At each connection point, you gotta whip out that Conversational Selling magic and dig deep to understand those true pain points that need fixing.
Show them you care about their problems, authentically of course, and how it’s all making them feel. By doing that, you solidify your position as the ultimate expert who’s gonna lead them straight to the perfect solution.
GET A YES by clearly proposing ways to resolve the specific pain points they’ve articulated and how your solution leads to the success they’re expecting.
Conversation Selling Can improve your client experience in several ways
It allows you to build a deeper connection with your clients.
It’s all about actively tuning in to your client’s needs and concerns. By doing that, you’ll dish out solutions that are custom-fit for their one-of-a-kind situation. You know what’s up – clients crave business interactions with someone who’s fully engaged and empathetic about their struggles. So, let their needs take the wheel and steer the conversation toward the perfect solution. That’s how you pave the way to immense satisfaction and unwavering loyalty. Trust me, this is the secret sauce to winning them over!
It can help you establish yourself as a trusted advisor.
As a fierce female entrepreneur, here’s the deal: you wanna become THE go-to expert in their eyes, right? Well, listen up! Start by asking those oh-so-relevant, problem-seeking questions and serving up some seriously helpful insights. When you do that, you position yourself as a valuable resource, and trust me, clients eat that up! This informed generosity of yours will set the stage for long-term relationships and referrals that just keep rollin’ in. So get out there and show ’em what you’re made of – they won’t be able to resist your expertise!
This approach helps you to better understand your client’s expectations.
If you want to deliver exactly what your clients expect : engage in a back-and-forth conversation with intentional, active listening. By fueling your proposal with your client’s language and perspective you’ve shown them that they’v been truly heard and sparks instant excitement about what’s to come.
Conversational selling is the best way to manage expectations.
Take charge and allow space for those crucial conversations about timelines, communication preferences, payment structures, and the scope of work. When you do this, you’ll make sure both parties are on the same page. And guess what? Your clients won’t feel the urge to micromanage the project because you’ve demonstrated that what matters to them truly matters to you. That’s how you build trust and make ’em feel like they’re in the best of hands!
As a bonus, you’ve already established healthy two-way communication, so if an issue surfaces you know how to talk to each other. Save time and stress (on both sides) while you continue to build trust and demonstrate your commitment to delivering high-quality services.
Your competitive advantage is ditching the pitch
Conversational selling is your gas-in-the-can tool for managing client expectations and building long-term relationships based on trust and mutual understanding. Take the time to engage in personalized chats with your clients. They are rich opportunities to ensure you deliver the value and results they need while setting realistic expectations and reducing hiccups along the way.
A client who feels understood by you is a client who wants to work with you.
When you’re pitching just for the sake of a sale and not connection, you’re making prospective clients and customers feel like they’re nothing more than dollar signs to you.
Overall, ditching the pitch and using a conversational selling approach will differentiate you and your business and create a more positive and memorable client experience, leading to long business relationships, referrals a-plenty and steady growth in revenue.
Want more? Download my sales framework where I share 5 phases you need to include in your sales process to get a “Yes” from your potential client.
This blog was not written with the use of AI. All opinions and insights are based on 20 years of conversations I’ve had with thousands of business owners and decision makers.
Nicole Gallant is a marketing and sales strategist and certified StoryBrand guide based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her portfolio can be found here.
