Richardson's Selling with Insights® White Paper

1. RICHARDSON SELLINGWITH
INSIGHTSWHITE PAPER

2. THEVALUE OF LEVERAGING INSIGHTS
Customers want value above all else, and value is much more complex
than an Insight pitched over the course of one or two meetings. Insights
must be carefully folded into a comprehensive, customer-focused selling
methodology and seen as one tool in the sales toolkit rather than the
entire toolkit itself.
How can sellers provide value?
• Encourage customers to think about their business issues and
needs in a new way
• Be a point of differentiation
• Bring relevant insights and ideas to the table

3. AVOIDING INSIGHTTRAPS
Organizations who successfully Sell with Insights are aware of
the risks and proactively manage them.
Risk #1: Ignoring the rest of the pursuit
Risk #2: The InsightTraps
Risk #3: Focusing solely on what has changes and forgetting what doesn’t
3.6 Sales professionals who prepare and deliver meetings of high
value to buyers win deals 3.6 times more than their peers.

4. WHAT ARETHE INSIGHTTRAPS?
• Action based on assumptions:
The seller must be highly skilled in when and how he/she positions an
insight, including validating your assumptions first to ensure relevance and
engaging the customer in a collaborative discussion that fosters openness
to new ways of thinking.
Make the buyer “smarter” without making the buyer feel “stupid.”

5. WHAT ARETHE INSIGHTTRAPS?
• Inability to maintain objectivity to deeply understand needs:
The seller must avoid staying focused on his/her own current beliefs, without
openness to altering his/her own perception with a clearer understanding of the
customer’s unique situation, so that he/she doesn’t miss the opportunity to
create value for the customer by accurately diagnosing issues.
Challenge the buyer’s thinking without challenging the person.

6. WHAT ARETHE INSIGHTTRAPS?
• Insight Dumping — the new “feature dumping:”
Sellers must be careful not to dump their insight on
customers.They must constantly be listening, gauging
feedback, asking great questions, and navigating the
interaction with the customer.
Be comfortable dealing with conflict when there are opposing viewpoints.

7. SO,WHAT HASN’T CHANGED?
It’s important not to forget to focus on:
• The Dialogue
• Trust
• Use all of the tools in the toolbox (skills, substance, and
integrity)
7

8. About Richardson
Richardson is a global sales training and performance improvement company focused on
helping you drive revenue and grow long-term customer relationships. Our market proven
sales and coaching methodology, combined with our active learning approach, ensures that
your sales teams learn, master, and apply new behaviors when and where they matter most
— in front of the buyer. Get to know us and learn about how we help drive the world’s most
inspiring sales organizations to their next level of excellence.
www.Richardson.com
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9. THANK
YOU