What are the 5 approaches in personal selling?

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Posted by: Lucid Content Team

Ask several sales representatives about their favorite sales approach. The responses you’ll get in return will be as interesting or diverse as the individuals who offer them.

However, all sales approaches are essentially step-by-step propositions—developed to make the act of selling much more effective and reliable. Quite often, your personality, background, and experience determine the selling approach that works best for you.

Even if you believe you’ve found your best sales approach, every sales professional stands to benefit from trying different types of sales approaches from time to time.

In fact, your best sales approach might just result from a combination of several other sales approaches. So, which sales approach examples should you consider? And how can you incorporate the best elements of these methods into your own sales process?

No two sales professionals are alike—but everyone can benefit from refining their skills.

In this article, we will outline four different sales approaches you can immediately apply to any given selling situation. Each sales approach has its own unique strengths—along with the potential to revitalize your interest, enthusiasm, and understanding for the sales profession. 

Before long, you will begin feeling comfortable enough to implement one, two, or a combination of all four of these approaches into your sales process. And boost your numbers along the way.

Let’s get started.

1. Premium sales approach

Everyone appreciates a free gift. Your prospective customers are no different. 

With the premium sales approach, sales professionals offer their prospects a giveaway or promotional item in an effort to build excitement about their product or brand. A key advantage of this selling approach is its ability to attract otherwise hesitant customers.

This free gift (or premium) can be as simple as a gift card. Other times, it can be an item with some connection to the product or service you sell for a living (e.g., if you’re in car sales, the premium you offer could be a year of free gas fill-ups or a set of snow tires.)

The premium sales approach is more common in B2C sales but can be applied to B2B scenarios, like including 6-months of tech support with an enterprise SaaS purchase.

Once their attention is captured with a premium, your prospects will be more motivated to listen to your sales presentation or return your phone calls. Remember, this approach is only meant to initiate contact and shouldn’t become an aspect of every sales pitch.

2. Product sales approach

Making an important buying decision can be exciting. It can also be intimidating. This is particularly true when you’re considering the purchase of a new product or service, 

Selling something new or unproven (at least in the eyes of your prospect) takes more time and attention. Potential customers conduct research and compare competitors. A recent Harvard Business Review survey of 500 B2B salespeople across a wide variety of industries—from technology to financial services to industrial products—revealed:

• Salespeople selling new products spend 32% more face-to-face time with customers.
• Objections occur later in the process for new innovations than for established products.

With the product sales approach, you provide prospects with a sample (or free trial) to evaluate what you have to offer. It’s a great way to show value and establish credibility.

This sales approach can also take the form of a product demonstration. For hands-on or visual learners, this is especially helpful as it allows them to see your product in action.

3. Network sales approach

Whether it’s B2B or B2C sales, building a list of prospects and developing relationships with them are crucial to the process. This is where you may have a hidden advantage.

Using the network sales approach lets you strategically rely on your own list of personal and professional connections. Whatever the size, your network of family, friends, and past coworkers can provide the foundation you need to uncover qualified leads and generate solid referrals.

Social media networks offer a natural environment to build your prospect list. Research shows 69% of U.S. adults use Facebook and typically have a network of 338 friends. 27% of LinkedIn users have between 500 and 999 1st-level professional connections.  

Sales is about building trust. Networking is sales with people who already trust you.

You can also employ this sales approach to help identify the well-connected individuals within your network who can introduce you to an untapped resource of qualified leads. 

Of course, applying the network sales approach isn’t a license to go through your entire list of contacts to bother people who would otherwise not be a solid sales prospects or qualified lead. Use good judgment. If your offer can provide value, add them to your list.

4. Prescriptive sales approach

Giving prospective customers all the information and options they need to arrive at the right decision sounds like a good thing. After all, being flexible to the direction (or whims) of your customers should make the buying process easier and ultimately increase sales. This impulse to quickly respond and offer endless support is seen in more common sales tactics, such as:

• Ensuring customers have every case study, testimonial, and brochure
• Adjusting your offer to meet the ever-changing demands of the customer
• Providing customers with more time to consider all possible alternatives

Logic suggests being customer-centered should result in more sales. But the latest research shows that providing additional information and multiple options may actually suppress sales.

An HBR survey of 600 B2B buyers reveals it drives an 18% decrease in purchase ease.

Fortunately, the prescriptive sales approach takes the opposite tactic. Within the same buyer survey, it was shown to increase purchase ease by 86%. With the prescriptive sales approach, the sales professional offers a clear recommendation for action to customers—backed by a specific rationale. Any complex aspects of the sale are explained upfront. If added approval is needed from the purchasing department, invite them into the sale early on.

Customers often appreciate and respect the prescriptive sales approach. It helps them see the sales representative as being proactive—predicting and eliminating obstacles. Additionally, customers who undergo a prescriptive sales process experience less sales regret and are more likely to repurchase, compared to conventional sales methods.

This approach is ideal for leading customers through the three common buying stages:

• Early buying stage: This is where customers have trouble distinguishing between meaningful and irrelevant information and deciding if more information is needed.  
• Middle buying stage: This is where customers encounter competing priorities and hidden concerns about the purchase. They may question their need for change.
• Late buying stage: This is where customers become overwhelmed by having too many purchase options and confused by the late introduction of different options.   

The prescriptive sales approach is more an organizational aptitude than an individual skill—one that can be applied to marketing content just as well as sales conversations.

How to use the different sales approaches to create your own

By experimenting with these four different sales approaches, you can start developing a selling technique that accommodates your unique product or service, as well as your customer base. Adapt sales tactics to fit the requirements of your particular business.

A solid sales approach doesn’t guarantee a sale. But it will help set the stage for the next crucial steps in the process, from giving the presentation and handling objections to closing the sale and following up with customers (for repeat business and referrals).  

1. Career development
2. 7 Effective Personal Selling Strategies and Why They Work

By Indeed Editorial Team

Published July 21, 2021

Personal selling strategies play an important role in developing customer relationships, as they emphasize a personal approach to sales. Sales departments or entrepreneurs use personal selling strategies to explain the benefit of a product or service, answer customer questions and address their concerns. Learning how personal strategies work and how to use them may make your sales pitches more effective. In this article, we define personal selling strategies, explain why they're important and identify the strategies you can use.

What are personal selling strategies?

Personal selling strategies involve meeting with the customer for a face-to-face interaction that serves to inform and persuade them into making a purchase. By directly meeting with the customer, the salesperson confirms the product's benefits by emphasizing details like price, characteristics or current market demand. This personal connection also helps the salesperson assess any hesitation the customer has about the product and proactively address it.

Personal selling strategies work well for companies that sell complex or expensive products. They also function well for highly individualized purchases like homes, automobiles or insurance policies. Personal selling strategies play a part in business-to-business transactions, such as demonstrating automated equipment for a factory.

Related: 14 Effective Selling Strategies

Why are personal selling strategies important?

The primary benefits of personal selling strategies are:

Ability to address buyer needs

Rather than listing all the benefits of a product, personal selling can focus on exactly why the customer might purchase the product. This might mean addressing particular features and time- or cost-saving benefits. For example, a salesperson helping a customer choose a new refrigerator can use personal selling techniques to ask questions about what the customer wants, then show them a refrigerator model that addresses their exact needs.

Opportunity to improve customer relationships

Personal selling strategies aim to build relationships with customers through honest communication and helpfulness. When customers trust a brand or person, they might be more likely to return for advice or guidance. For example, a customer who sells their home might use the same real estate agent who sold the home to them if that agent formed a lasting connection using personal selling techniques.

Source of customer feedback

Personal selling strategies lend insight into customer likes and dislikes, which can give the company valuable information about how to best market the product. By asking for customer feedback, you have the opportunity to improve your own sales strategies while gaining insight into customer preferences. This allows you to develop your strategies for each customer and foster a collaborative relationship.

Related: How To Sell Anyone Your Product

Seven personal selling strategies

Personal selling strategies can vary depending on the product you sell as well as the type of customer with which you interact. Rather than relying on a single method, consider combining strategies for a comprehensive plan. Here is a list of seven personal selling strategies:

1. Present the product's benefits

A product's benefits are often its most persuasive selling point. In this technique, you gain an understanding of the customer's buying motives and explain how the product fits their needs. You can adjust the message depending on the customer or if the conversation changes direction. For example, if a customer wants to know more about a product's efficiency but keeps referring to the product's material, you might adapt your response to discuss the product's quality and durability.

2. Demonstrate the product

In some cases, demonstrating the product is a persuasive technique. This may work best with products that are highly technical or complex. As you clarify how the product works, you can also discuss how the product solves a problem. One example is demonstrating to a homeowner how the features of a home alarm system work to keep them safe.

3. Encourage a conversation

Personal selling strategies involve working directly with the customer to discover their concerns and address them. By engaging in conversation with the customer, you can gain insight into their personality and buying choices. This helps you guide the customer toward a decision. Depending on the customer's interests or hesitations, a conversational strategy might include making product comparisons or explaining why the higher price indicates quality or craftsmanship.

Read more: What Is Persuasion Selling? (With Tips)

4. Act as a consultant

As you share your expertise with customers, you demonstrate your knowledge of a product or service to gain their confidence. You can build stronger relationships by learning about the customer's problems and recommending solutions. This may prompt the customer to seek your counsel when making future buying decisions. For example, a first-time buyer may turn into a repeat customer because your past advice was beneficial, and they may wish to consult with you again before making another purchase.

5. Emphasize customer satisfaction

Gain customer confidence and loyalty by sharing your accomplishments. This is especially helpful for salespeople who help customers make significant purchases like homes or cars. Consider compiling a list of reviews or testimonials from satisfied customers to reassure new customers of your dedication and skill. Additionally, be sure to ask new customers for feedback to improve your services or add to your list of references.

6. Tell a story

For this strategy, share a personal experience to persuade the customer to make a purchase. Your story might involve how the product changed your life or another customer's success story. This helps establish a connection with your customer and create a scenario where they might imagine themselves using the product. Storytelling is often an emotional appeal, so this strategy may be effective for products that address an urgent problem or have some sentimental value.

Read more: What Is Story Selling? Definition and Examples

7. Respond to consumer behavior

When competition appears or market trends change, personal selling strategies can allow salespeople to quickly adapt due to their close proximity to consumers. It's helpful to monitor market conditions for emerging competition. This allows you to design your personal selling strategy to reach new consumers and retain loyal customers.

Related: Tips for Selling Ideas to Another Business

Tips for developing a personal selling strategy

Here are a few tips to help you form a personal selling strategy:

Find qualified leads

Acquiring qualified leads allows you to approach customers who are ready to buy. To help with this, you might create a persona that identifies and defines your ideal customer. Be sure to include information like:

• Geographic location

• Their age or age range

• The issues they encounter

• Their buying habits, such as researching or impulse buying

• Your solutions

Perform research

In order to succeed in personal sales, it's helpful to have an up-to-date understanding of your industry. Perform regular research or read industry publications to anticipate changes in competition or buying patterns. Thorough research helps you stay adaptable when market changes happen, and it can equip you with knowledge to address customer questions.

Provide information

Personal selling strategies convey your expertise and explain product value, which leaves the customer with information to consider. Material, such as brochures, business cards, flyers or website links, allows customers to conduct their own research and learn more about your organization and product. If the customer isn't ready to buy, these materials may help them make a purchasing decision in the future.

Become a buying partner

Personal selling strategies position you as a partner in the customer's buying experience. Approaching your relationship with the customer as a partnership can help maintain customer satisfaction, as this technique can help establish trust. It's also useful to follow up with customers and after a purchase to assess their opinion and to encourage repeat purchases.