In a recent video titled "Mastering the Art of Consultative Selling: Patience Pays Off," Harry Ghuman, former VP of Sales at Oracle, shares valuable insights about the consultative selling approach and how building trust over time creates lasting client relationships.
The Importance of Persistence and Message Refinement
Ghuman emphasizes that success in consultative selling doesn't always happen on the first try. Sometimes, what appears to be a perfect prospect might not convert immediately.
"If you're really working to say that this company is a good target for me and maybe Tuesday, and they not… you didn't talk to the right guy on Tuesday, and it's just like you didn't really have a good story for them, but that doesn't mean that if you go another story, another day, they're not going to be valid," Ghuman explains.
This perspective highlights the iterative nature of consultative selling. Each interaction provides valuable information that helps refine your message and approach. Even if a prospect isn't ready now, maintaining the relationship can lead to opportunities down the line. As Ghuman notes, "Every conversation gives you some additional information for you to be able to refine what your message would be, and maybe they're not ready now, maybe they'll be in the pipeline 6 months later."
Creating Champions Through Value-Based Selling
One of the core tenets of consultative selling is providing genuine value. However, Ghuman takes this further by explaining the importance of building consensus and developing multiple champions within an organization:
"If you believe in the consultative valuable selling methodology and value being like an integral part of it, the other integral parts are actually gaining consensus and gaining not only one champion in them and making large teams to be your champions."
This approach transforms the traditional sales relationship. Rather than merely pushing a product, you become an advocate for your champions within their organization. Ghuman describes this powerful dynamic: "Listening to them and they see you as you are the one who are actually telling my story to my company because I cannot tell my story to my company."
The Validation Process: Securing Buy-In
Building consensus requires thorough validation across multiple stakeholders. Ghuman stresses: "That's where you do a lot of validation, validation, validation. You do multiple with this proposal meeting your individual needs and your company's needs."
This meticulous validation process culminates in a powerful moment of alignment where stakeholders recognize the value proposition clearly addresses their needs. When done correctly, "people say 'yes, it is.' Probably the biggest thing that say, 'this is what we want, this clearly says what is the path now and the next couple of years where we are going.'"
Long-Term Benefits: Creating Iconic Customer Relationships
Perhaps the most compelling argument for consultative selling is the long-term relationship it fosters. When you've built trust through this approach, you're positioned for continued business as your company grows:
"If you can actually get that type of consensus, now you have like you're on a path to making some iconic customers, like accounts where people have been there, who are going to be early adopter when your company adds like the second product, third product."
The trust built through consultative selling creates a foundation for future sales without the same level of scrutiny: "You're going to go back and say, 'Hey, I have this new thing too, please add it,' and they're not going to question it because you've been working with them and they trust you."
Helping Organizations Find Their Transformation Story
The video concludes with a powerful insight about the true value consultative sellers provide: "This is really about consultative selling and creating a relationship with these companies to help them understand their own story of transformation."
Remarkably, this clarity is often missing within organizations themselves. By helping stakeholders articulate and align around their transformation story, consultative sellers facilitate internal consensus: "When people understand their own story of transformation, they can align around it because sometimes even that is not clear to them and helps them align on a vision."
Consultative selling, at its best, isn't just about making sales—it's about facilitating organizational alignment and clarity that drives genuine transformation. By focusing on building trust, creating internal champions, and helping organizations understand their own narrative, sales professionals can create relationships that deliver value far beyond the initial transaction.