What is the effect of a novel method (a menu of needs methodology) in starting conversations and establishing the needs of customers when working remotely via video conferencing platforms?
Background
The theories of selling have evolved over the last decades from essentially a product push methodology to a needs-based solution approach and further into insight selling methodologies (Schultz & Doer, 2014). Solution selling refers to finding the needs of a potential customer be that needs that they currently understand they have or uncovering needs that were aren’t so apparent to them (implicit needs) that the salesperson’s product services or solutions can solve either now or potentially in the future (Cai et al. 2021). A great deal of time and effort has been spent on sales training is taken to help salespeople understand the value of using questioning techniques to explore these needs. Hardwick and Anderson (2019) argued that methodologies up to this point have been founded on asking open questions to explore general challenges and problems that the customer may have in the current situation that they are aware of and then providing benefits to these solutions.
The current pandemic has forced salespeople to work from home for the past 18 months whereas before they were used to more face-to-face conversations with their clients (Chaker et al., 2021). This is more pronounced when prospecting for business with new potential clients as many salespeople find this part of the sales process is extremely difficult. The inability to create a relationship early in the sales process is considered by many a deciding factor and the outcome of the sale. The physical proximity of face-to-face conversation is thought to help and be instrumental in the process of forming relationships with new clients (Hardwick & Anderson, 2019). Lack of physical intimacy in a remote virtual working environment does not help this process. Additionally, many physical cues from the body language of prospects (potential clients or customers) are missing in a virtual environment. As such many salespeople had to adapt their face-to-face conversations into using video conferencing to try and achieve the same level of sales performance.
An integral part of this process is exploring the needs of the client to provide solutions to their challenges, problems, or aspirations to improve their business. One of the main considerations according to Chaker et al. (2021, p. 130) is how the salesperson fields each question which is also perceived as the thought of as true of face-to-face conversations. The fall-back position of any salesperson is to ask the question to potential clients “Tell me what are your problems in your business” and this may cause a certain amount of reactance in the potential clients who may be thinking either “what problems do you mean” or indeed I’ve only just met I don’t want to tell you my problems.
This research is focused on using a relatively novel technique of video conferencing which will improve this first step in the sales process, eliciting needs from potential clients. The main aim of this study is to establish whether displaying the menu of needs (named “Our Typical Customer Priorities”) helps establish needs and solutions to those needs, faster, easier, and leads to more effective collaboration.
1.2 Problem Statement
The importance of understanding a client’s needs when trying to sell has long been recognized by the sales industry and studied in depth. The solution selling technique has been the bedrock of all sales techniques over many years (Cai et al. 2021). Hardwick and Anderson (2019) suggested that the most successful salespeople challenge their customers to view rather than just form relationships.
Although the authors experience in practice is that often sales teams do not like to “challenge their customers” it seems counterintuitive to maintaining relationships with them. In addition, Chaker et al. (2021) argued that typical sales conversations do not easily establish these needs. Furthermore, Lemken and Rowe (2020) noted that with the recent change to remote working for global sales teams and consequently conversations over video conferencing, platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom have exasperated the problem of establishing these needs, which can frequently be traced to ineffective conversations. The available research has been centered on the needs of customers, what influences their choices, and strategies that can be adopted to enhance sales conversations. There is a need however to note that there is limited information on the ‘menu of needs’ methodology, which has not been explored at all.
As a result, there is a need for empirical research to develop a quick and effective way of sales teams to establish the needs of a customer when working with video conferencing platforms. Additionally, it is important to develop a selling technique that enhances credibility with the customer and establishes their needs to help both parties develop a suitable resolution of the customer’s problem. Ths study hopes to establish whether displaying the menu of needs (named “Our Typical Customer Priorities”) helps establish needs and solutions to those needs, faster, easier, and leads to more effective collaboration.
1.3 Aim and Objectives
The main aim of this research is to examine whether the ‘menu of needs’ approach is suitable in establishing conversations and the needs of clients when working remotely in video conferencing platforms. Further, the objectives of this research are:
- To examine the different sales techniques and their potential
- To examine various approaches of improving conversations between salespersons and clients
- To determine the impact of the menu of needs methodology in enhancing sales conversations
1.4 Research Question
This researcher attempts to address the following research question:
What is the effect of a novel method (a menu of needs methodology) in starting conversations and establishing the needs of customers when working remotely via video conferencing platforms?
