Consultative Selling/Mac Hanan 28-29

29 The challenge to grow the top line, which is the key performance indicator of a growth company, is going unment.

The date you need to qualify and quantify a customer's consultative needs cannot be found in reports. It is business-line-specific and business-function-specific and consists of two categories of data:

1. In a profit-centered line of business, what contributions to its revenues and earnings being made by its critical products and services can you affect? What is the gap between the current contribution of a product or service and the line managers' objective to increase it? Can you help them close the gap enough to make you a compelling partner?

2. In a cost-centered business function, what are the current contributions to the function's cost being made by its critical factors that you can affect? What is the gap between the current contribution of a factor and the function managers' objective to reduce it? Can you help them close the gap enough to make you a compelling partner?

When you know the answers to these questions, you will be ready for the first conversation in "business-ese" with a customer manager. Your objective will be to reposition both of you: your customer into a client and yourself into a consultant.