Membership Overview
Learn what being a member does for you
The Seller Styles
NASP Programs
Catalog
See a summary of all our programs and certifications
Online Certifications
Certified Professional Sales Person(CPSP®)
Develop your potential as a certified sales professional
Certified Professional Sales Leader(CPSL®)
Grow your impact as a certified sales leader
Certified Master Sales Professional (CMSP®)
Join the elite group of sales professionals and leaders
Certified Master Sales Trainer (CMST®)
Online Programs
Advanced Sales Influence (ASI)
Take your influence and leadership to the next level.
Certified Professional Sales Associate (CPSA®)
Learn foundational sales behaviors, strategies, and skills
Power of Contact Marketing
Learn from marketing expert and author Stu Heinecke
ProSeries Programs
Join the top 1% of sales professionals in the world.
Next Level Virtual Coaching
Sales Mastery
Join our ongoing dynamic virtual coaching community
Career Center
Explore job postings from some of the best companies in the country looking for sales professionals
Training Resources
Daily Dose of Influence!
Enjoy our video series of influence tips and strategies
Leads To Growth
Dig into our podcast featuring industry leaders and experts
Coaches Corner
Learn from our high-level sales coaching video series
Women of Sales & Influence – Facebook Live Series
Be inspired by our Facebook Live series spotlighting top women influencers
Women of Sales & Influence – Video Blog
Enjoy valuable, high-level sales strategies to empower your sales goals
Sales Resources
The Growth Quotient
You’ve heard about IQ, but what is your GQ?
Our Commitment to You
We are here to help your approach to sales, how you interact with others, and how you perform and execute
Articles
NASP Sales Blog
Learn from our member-submitted articles for sales professionals
About Our CEO
Standards of Conduct
Testimonials
Common Questions and Answers
Contact
by Kellie D'Andrea
As you begin to engage your prospect in the sales process, it is important to understand how they move through a decision to find a solution.
At this point in the process, a problem or challenge has surfaced and your prospect is evaluating if this problem is truly compelling and once they engage to find a solution, they will be looking to validate that you understand their needs and looking to see if you have a possible solution. At this stage, initial concerns are focused on the business need. At this point, cost isn’t as an important of a factor since the customer is primarily looking for a business fit. Once the customer sees the need, the focus turns to finding a solution.
After your prospect feels you have a possible solution, they will move to the next phase – does this solution have potential? They will be evaluating you to see if you can deliver the solution on time and on budget and be interested if you have the right resources, process, and people. Basically, they are wondering if it is worth moving forward. Remember, this is an investment of time, risk and money for them so at every phase, they will be asking is it worth it to move forward. Phase II is all about finding alternatives and finding solutions remains a top level concern. At this stage risk enters into the process as the customer evaluates the risk around making this decision. Risk to their careers and risk to their current process and way of life.
In the final stage, the customer focuses his attention on the risk/reward trade-offs and identifying value becomes paramount. Once you have demonstrated that not only you understand their business need but also have a solution, your customer shifts his attention on conducing a cost benefit analysis. At this time price and value enter into the picture and your prospect is evaluating interested in all tangible and intangible benefits of implementing your solution. At this point, it is important to also focus on mitigating any risk that comes with your solution and demonstrating why your offering has the best value over the next best alternative.
About the author