Think like a partner
Jul 19, 2024
Are you ready to increase your sales?
The Collaborative Selling Scorecard has been designed to show sales professionals their blind spots and provide instant, actionable steps on how to improve
It’s free and only takes 5 minutes
Basically because it is the simplest way to adopt a collaborative selling approach
On goes the orange hat to explore this
🟠 Orange Hat Thinking 🟠
Let’s consider this in more detail and use the six elements of ‘Partnering Intelligence’ (PQ)
🔶 Ability to trust
- Do you give people your trust, or do they have to earn it?
As a salesperson cultivating trust is key
When we think like partners, we establish trust early to build stronger and more meaningful connections with customers
Trust opens doors to collaboration so we can better understand their needs and provide tailored solutions
🔶 Win-win orientation
- Do you employ a problem-solving approach that creates wins for all concerned?
Partnerships thrive on mutual benefit
As salespeople thinking like a partner means thinking win-win
We can find solutions that address the needs of our customers and ourselves to achieve sustainable success built on shared value
🔶 Comfort with interdependence
- Can you allow your partners to accomplish their assigned activities, even if they don't do it the way you would?
Sales success lies in collaboration and shared goals
Thinking like a partner recognises the unique strengths of our customers and empowering them to excel in their areas of expertise
Focusing on collective success drives a culture of mutual support and respect
🔶 Transparency
- Can you easily articulate your needs and give honest feedback?
Effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful partnership
Thinking like a partner requires open dialogue where we can confidently express ourselves
It also means actively seeking and providing feedback to build stronger relationships based on mutual understanding and continuous improvement
🔶 Comfort with change
- Are you comfortable changing not just the status quo, but your own status quo?
To do business today adaptability is essential
Thinking like a partner means embracing change and continuously evolving
It requires a willingness to step out of our comfort zones, challenging ourselves and or customers to think creatively and explore new opportunities
🔶 Future orientation
- Do you look to the future rather than the past in evaluating your business relationships?
Thinking like a partner means being forward-thinking
Rather than dwelling on past successes or setbacks seek to understand evolving goals and challenges
By anticipating customer needs and offering innovative solutions we can position ourselves as trusted advisors
A partnering mindset is crucial for sales success
ALL sales people can use it to develop a more collaborative approach
Anyone who claims to be 'customer centric' will benefit
Many talk about it
The best do it
(My first book Selling Through Partnering Skills applies this to a modern selling via the VALUE Framework.... and we build our training around it)