The Amazing Sandler Selling System
The Sandler Selling System, developed by David Sandler in 1967, takes a revolutionary approach: when done right, the buyerBuyer A buyer is an individual or organizational entity that purchases a product or subscribes to a service. is convinced that they are the one actually pursuing the deal, not the other way around. A sales cycleSales Cycle Sales Cycle is a repeating process characterized by a predictable sequence of stages that a company undergoes as it sells its products and services to customers. requires a mutual level of commitment for both parties.
The initial contact with the buyer, instead of being the usual “sales push” is much more like a conversation. The sales rep is digging deep to discover the issues behind the potential purchase—both corporate and (for the buyer) personal.
In this way, issues that would normally come up and be dealt with later in the sales cycle—such as time and budget constraints—are actually exposed right up front. Once all objections have been laid bare and fully discussed, the rep assesses whether or not this deal is truly right for the prospect. Honesty definitely playsPlays Plays is an engagement strategy, set of actions, series of tactical steps, or an agreed upon selling approach developed to be repeatable and customized to deliver the highest likelihood of closing a deal with a specific group of prospective customers during a set period. a role here, for if the rep can see that the productProduct Product refers to anything (an idea, item, service, process or information) that meets a need or a desire and is offered to a market, usually but not always at a price. or service isn’t right for this particular buyer and company, they let the deal go.
The basic goal is to:
a) Convince the buyer that they have technical issues that could be solved by the seller’s product
b) Create a conviction of the seller that fulfilling those needs is a high priority, not only for the company but for the prospective clients themselves.
The Stages
The basic stages of the Sandler Selling System are:
- Build and Sustain a Relationship. This includes activities such as developing a rapport with the buyer, having a sincere desire to help them, and establishing up-front agreements about the progression of the selling system.
- Qualify the Opportunity. This includes factors such as concentrating on the fit between your offering and the prospect’s issues, determining if the prospect is able to commit the necessary resources and determining how your offer will be judged.
- Close the Sale. Closing only occurs with prospects who have “survived” the qualifying stage and have agreed to make a decision at the conclusion of a presentation. The presentation should only focus on the “pains” uncovered earlier in the process. Post-sale activities will aid the closing of the sale, and facilitate the transition of the relationship from buyer-seller to partners.
Pipeliner CRM Is Your Backbone
A selling methodology such as the Sandler Selling System won’t function well without Pipeliner CRM.
Ideally, the Sandler Selling System has been carefully mapped out for an individual company, based on the sales steps of successful reps who have succeeded in the past. CRM must be rapidly and easily adaptable to the broad stages of a company’s sales processSales Process Sales Process is a series of strategic steps or a set of activities aimed at driving sales growth through the alignment of personnel, market insight, methodologies, relevant business units, and technology., as well as the distinct steps (activities and tasks) to be taken at each stage.
With its completely visual, intuitive functionality, Pipeliner CRM meets and exceeds these qualifications and more.
Find out how Pipeliner CRM can totally empower your Sandler Selling System efforts. Try our free trial.