Below is my take on the evolution of the selling process. This expose will give you input on what not to do and new approaches not to ignore to advance your success in the selling process...

Stage One in the evolution of selling was the “Product Pitch”. It focused on a certain product and usually made many promises, many of which were not valid. This is undoubtedly the genesis of the negative image of selling. The pitch was usually canned, seldom customer-centric, and often stretched the truth.

Stage Two was the “Hard Sell”. It was somewhat more sophisticated than the product pitch, but not much better. It was still manipulative and often put people in the uncomfortable position of making a decision before they were ready.

Stage Three was when selling finally began to get positive reviews when it started “Relationship Selling”.

Stage Four was the “Needs Satisfaction Selling” era which emerged in the late seventies. Customers appreciated this approach because it was about them, not about a product or service. It enables salespeople to craft solutions which prospects helped we could deliver.

Stage Five is “Value Selling”. The implication is that salespeople have a deep understanding of the implications to the customer of the challenges they face and are willing to help craft solutions that add value to the customer’s own business. For value selling to work salespeople must devote more creative energy and thought to solutions that the customer will value greatly.

The first two stages mentioned are for historical perspective only and are to be avoided at all costs. The three later stages (Stages 3, 4 and 5) work in concert with each other for superb results. All three are important and should be focused on for maximum results.