Tip: Focus Sales on Consulting to Meet Customer Needs - Modern Distribution Management

Tip: Focus Sales on Consulting to Meet Customer Needs

Sales teams must transition from order collectors to consultants.
mtow-blog-image

Technology enables customers to access more information than ever before, which means salespeople must transition from order collectors to consultants to meet customer needs, says Barry Lawrence, program director of the industrial distribution program at Texas A&M University, in The Changing Role of Sales Personnel.

Since customers already have the information they need at their fingertips, salespeople must show their value by providing solutions for the customer's business – and quickly, says Lawrence.

Providing answers to questions and solutions to problems in a timely manner are critical to meeting customer expectations.

"In order to be competitive, distributors are going to find that they're going to have to be more real-time oriented with their customers," says Lawrence.

Although customer expectations are changing due to technological advances, technology is also providing salespeople with time-saving tools to help meet those expectations, such as online catalogs and increased access to customer data.

Read more about the need for sales teams to adapt in The Changing Role of Sales Personnel.

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.