The Strategic/Consultative Selling Model has gained wide acceptance in the United States. Briefly describe what the model consists of and how it can serve as a checklist for sales personnel

What will be an ideal response?

The Strategic/Consultative Selling Model consists of five interdependent steps, each with three prescriptions that can serve as a checklist for sales personnel. The first step requires a sales representative to develop a personal selling philosophy. A commitment to the marketing concept and a willingness to adopt the role of problem solver or partner in helping customers is required at this first step. The second step is to develop a relationship strategy, which is a game plan for establishing and maintaining high-quality relationships with prospects and customers. This step connects sales personnel directly to the concept of relationship marketing. The third step, developing a product strategy, results in a plan that can assist the sales representative in selecting and positioning products that will satisfy consumer needs. The next step deals with customer strategy, which is a plan that ensures that the sales professional will be maximally responsive to customer needs. For this, a general understanding of consumer behavior is needed. The final step, the actual face-to-face selling situation, requires a presentation strategy. This consists of setting objectives for each sales call and establishing a presentation plan to meet those objectives. The presentation strategy must be based on the sales representative's commitment to provide outstanding service to customers. A presentation plan that is the heart of the presentation strategy typically consists of six stages: approach, presentation, demonstration, negotiation, closing, and servicing the sale.