Sales methodologies provide a framework for a specific section of the sales journey - lead qualification or conversion, for example. They have been about for decades to provide structure for sales teams along with a host of benefits for sellers and prospects. Some methodologies give step-by-step guides on how to do something, while others are more conceptual.
Methodologies are often broken down into acronyms to help reps remember the relevant steps and to ensure the methodology is followed in its entirety, so as to achieve the best results.
Every sales team is different so choosing the right sales method to match your team and your product takes time, and may well evolve as you go.
Methodologies have been proven to achieve positive outcomes in highly competitive sales environments, for a number of reasons.
Keeping these front of mind through the sales cycle means your subsequent client base will be more suited to your product, have fewer unexpected or unanticipated issues and will see better results from using your product.
This is useful for both new team members - as their onboarding has clear instructions and expectations - and experienced salespeople - as it creates flow and seamlessness in their pitch and process.
Many sales methodologies are founded on psychological principles around persuasion and studies of human nature. Underpinned by sales philosophies and theories, you’re saving yourself the time of having to try out lots of methods to see which work reliably.
Methodologies create a clear line through the cycle while allowing for the differences and nuances between reps that make them unique. Ultimately, everyone is aligned, which is particularly helpful for hybrid and remote sales teams.
Methodologies create uniform templates for benchmarking what good looks like to your team. This supports measuring improvement in performance so managers can better track how each rep is doing.
Sales methodologies give reps a format for their notes on prospect records. This means that when a manager or anyone else needs to refer back to prospect notes they can easily do so with comprehensive and comparable documentation.
When you map out a methodology, you can plan for all the eventualities that may occur in that sales conversation. Any objections or angles thrown at you from the prospect are expected and better prepared for, so if they happen, reps are well-equipped to tackle them.
With predictability comes certainty. While sales methodologies don’t guarantee every prospect converts, they do support your ability to create realistic and achievable targets and sales forecasts with a longer-term view.
There are a whole host of tried and tested sales methodologies - we’ve broken down some of the most popular below.
The Challenger sales methodology
The Miller Heiman sales methodology
BANT is a prospect qualification framework that allows reps to decide whether the prospect will make a viable customer for your specific product or service. It was first created for use at IBM in the 1950s, as a way to get reps up and running quickly.
Using BANT, reps pose questions through various stages which can be tailored or tweaked, depending on the nuances of your businesses and the tone you prefer your team to take. Ultimately, each step aims to confirm prospect suitability in one of four key areas.
MEDDICC is another very popular prospect qualification and selling methodology. What you’ll notice is that many elements are similar to BANT, but that other elements (including a P often turning MEDDICC into MEDDPICC) are included to add depth and context. MEDDICC was first created by Dick Dunkel of Parametric Technology Corporation and later championed by John McMahon for B2B sales.
The Challenger methodology is an approach to a pitch, created by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson in their book “The Challenger Sale”.
As its name suggests, a challenger rep will take a more offensive, as opposed to defensive, process. Key tenets to this methodology are opening the prospect's mind to possibilities, defining what value means to them, tackling difficult topics competitors might shy away from - like money and more alternative options - and then guiding them to your solution. The challenger methodology does not focus on the relationship build, as many others do, and tailors the sale very acutely to each individual prospect.
While the Challenger methodology doesn’t have an acronym to follow, it does suggest sticking to three T’s.
#1 Teach
Teach the prospect about the options available to them, challenge their perceptions and broaden their mind.
#2 Tailor
Tailor the pitch specifically to your prospect, following deep listening and understanding of them, their wants and needs.
#3 Take control
Position yourself as the guide, to lead the prospect through the decision-making process.
Developed by David Sandler in the 1970s, the Sandler methodology takes reps and prospects through seven steps. A consultative and collaborative approach, it prioritizes a low-pressure sales environment, building strong rapport and underpinning the process with mutual trust.
The methodology has three main phases; relationship build, qualification and the close.
Created by Jill Konrath in her book ‘SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business With Today’s Frazzled Customers’ - the clue is in the name. This is potentially the best sales methodology for SaaS businesses. The methodology seeks to increase win rates in today’s selling environment, where wearied buyers are information-rich with the internet at their fingertips but time-poor to do the research.
The process has two parts - the basics (SNAP) and the three decisions.
S = Simple.
Remember the prospect is highly pressured by their buying environment so keep meetings, options, and discussion crystal clear.
N = I(N)valuable.
Position yourself as central to the prospect’s success, guiding them through the process with expertise, information, and trust.
A = Align.
Identify very clearly the prospect's goals, pains, concerns and those of any other decision-makers, then align everything you do with these points.
P = Priorities.
Ensure their priorities are front of mind and reiterate your value proposition with regard to these priorities. Highlight how your solution meets their need better than no decision.
These four basics are paired with Konrath's three decision-making criteria the prospect will ask themselves. Reps can then use these questions to assess their own pitch.
#1 Should I allow you access and hear what you have to say?
#2 Should I make a change and opt for this solution or stick with the status quo?
#3 Why should I choose this solution over any other and have you given me compelling reasons to do so?
Created in the 1940s by Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman, this three-phase methodology was created specifically for larger and more complex decision-making groups and higher-value deals. The two key focuses are on relationship building with each individual within the decision-making group and on achieving the close.
In these larger decision-making groups, you must categorize individuals to better tailor how you approach them. Broad categories to use here are your champions, end-users, ‘technical’ buyers who check the solution meets requirements, and budget holders.
With your categorized list of individuals, work out which are most likely to be for or against your solution, with their various priorities and restraints in mind. You can then work out where and how you need to allocate time and effort while maintaining good relationships.
Now you can set about influencing the relevant individuals in customized ways, to achieve the outcome you want. Everyone in the decision-making group should feel valued, understood, and like their needs are being met as you close the deal.
Gap selling was created by Keenan, in the book 'Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes' published in 2018. The concept focuses on the gap between the buyer's current state - how they feel now and the problems they are experiencing - and the buyer's desired state - where they would like to be in a given timeframe, how they would like to feel and what issues they would like to have resolved.
#1 Current state
The first step is to clarify the buyer's current state, not just confirming their pains but deep diving into how wide-reaching the pains are, whether they are symptoms of other issues and the emotional implications. It's your standard discovery call taken to a whole new level.
#2 Desired state
The same level of detail should be sough in understanding the desired state. Not just what problem is solved but what do things look like across the business? How does the prospect feel? What other positive consequences and impacts might your solution create?
#3 The gap
Exploring the gap is all about laying out the journey for the buyer. Although a bigger gap might seem like a harder sell, it's actually the opposite. The bigger the gap, the more worthy the problem is of the buyer's investment. In this step, you need to uncover everything that would need to be ticked off and resolved in order for your buyer to feel like they have achieved their desired outcome - leave no stone unturned.
These are just a handful of the most successful sales techniques and methodologies. So with so many options, how do you choose one for your sales team?
Try as we might to follow textbook examples, any sales methodology will never play out exactly as stated and quite frankly, it shouldn’t.
Sales is an evolving, human interaction and your team should approach it as such. Your sale should be a balance between tried and tested methodologies, which line up your aim to hit your target, and an awareness of the nuance in every conversation, which will drive success through genuine prospect connection.
Every sales team and product or service is different, so try, test or even combine methodologies that match the values and sales processes of your business.
Review sales call recordings to understand not just how well your and yoru fellow reps are doing but how well-suited the methodologies are to your market. Then you can review which methodologies are best suited to your business.
This will depend on a number of things including; the market you are selling into, the geographies you are selling into, your team and their experience, and the approach your competitors take.
Be ready to change course to remain competitive and never be afraid to pave your own way.
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Shelley Lavery is the COO and Co-Founder of Jiminny, the leading conversation intelligence and sales coaching platform that helps companies maximize their revenue. With over a decade of experience in coaching B2B sales teams, Shelley was previously Group SVP of Sales at Reward Gateway now leading the conversation intelligence discussion with expertise and insight.