Customer focused selling represents a paradigm shift from product-centric pitching to customer-centric consulting that prioritizes understanding and addressing customer needs above all else. This advanced course teaches sophisticated approaches to building long-term customer relationships by becoming a trusted advisor rather than just a vendor. Participants will learn to deeply understand customer business objectives, co-create solutions that deliver measurable value, and position themselves as essential partners in their customers' success. The curriculum emphasizes consultative selling techniques, strategic account management, and value-based pricing approaches that align sales success with customer achievement and satisfaction.
Introduction
Objectives
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Apply consultative selling principles to build trusted advisor relationships
- Conduct deep business needs analysis and strategic discovery
- Develop customer-centric value propositions and business cases
- Co-create solutions with customers and stakeholders
- Implement strategic account management approaches
- Measure and demonstrate customer value delivery
- Navigate complex buying committees and decision processes
- Develop long-term account growth strategies
- Differentiate through customer experience and value
- Build customer loyalty and advocacy programs
Target Audience
- Experienced Sales Professionals
- Account Managers and Directors
- Key Account Strategists
- Business Development Executives
- Solution Sales Specialists
- Customer Success Managers
- Sales Managers and Leaders
- Enterprise Sales Representatives
Methodology
- Case studies of successful customer focused selling
- Strategic account planning workshops
- Stakeholder mapping exercises
- Value proposition development sessions
- Negotiation role-playing scenarios
- Customer business review simulations
- Peer coaching and feedback sessions
Personal Impact
- Enhanced strategic thinking and business acumen
- Improved executive presence and communication
- Stronger relationship building and influence skills
- Increased ability to create and demonstrate value
- Better negotiation and conflict resolution capabilities
- Higher career advancement potential in sales leadership
Organizational Impact
- Higher customer retention and lifetime value
- Increased account growth and wallet share
- Stronger competitive differentiation and positioning
- More predictable revenue streams
- Enhanced customer reference and advocacy
- Improved sales efficiency and effectiveness
Course Outline
Customer Focused Selling Foundations
Philosophy and Principles- Trusted advisor model vs. transactional selling
- Customer-centric mindset and behaviors
- Value creation vs. value extraction
- Long-term relationship economics
- Ethical considerations in consultative selling
- Customer focused selling process
- Account planning and strategy development
- Stakeholder ecosystem mapping
- Customer business objective alignment
- Success measurement and value tracking
Strategic Discovery and Needs Analysis
Business Discovery- Strategic questioning techniques
- Business process analysis
- Financial impact assessment
- Competitive landscape understanding
- Industry and market context analysis
- Buying center analysis and mapping
- Individual stakeholder motivation analysis
- Decision process and criteria mapping
- Influence networks and relationships
- Political landscape navigation
Value Co-creation and Solution Development
Collaborative Solutioning- Co-creation workshops and sessions
- Joint solution design approaches
- Proof of concept and pilot development
- Customization and configuration strategies
- Integration and implementation planning
- Quantitative value proposition development
- ROI modeling and business case creation
- Total cost of ownership analysis
- Risk mitigation and value protection
- Success metrics and measurement planning
Strategic Account Management
Account Planning- Strategic account planning process
- Account growth opportunity identification
- Cross-sell and up-sell strategy development
- Account health assessment and monitoring
- Competitive defense strategies
- Executive relationship building
- Multi-level relationship mapping
- Customer business review preparation
- Strategic partnership development
- Reference and advocacy cultivation
Value-Based Pricing and Negotiation
Pricing Strategies- Value-based pricing models
- Business outcome-linked pricing
- Subscription and consumption models
- Contract structuring for mutual success
- Pricing negotiation preparation
- Principle-based negotiation techniques
- Value preservation in negotiations
- Partnership agreement structuring
- Long-term relationship considerations
- Contract renewal and expansion strategies
Customer Success and Loyalty
Success Management- Customer success planning and monitoring
- Value realization tracking and reporting
- Quarterly business review execution
- Issue escalation and resolution management
- Customer satisfaction measurement
- Customer loyalty program development
- Advocacy and reference programs
- Community building and networking
- Continuous improvement and innovation
- Strategic partnership evolution
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