Course Details

This course is appropriate for a wide range of professionals but not limited to:

• Sales representatives and account executives
• Business development professionals
• Customer service and support staff
• Sales managers and team leads
• Consultants and pre-sales engineers
• Anyone involved in prospect engagement and customer discovery

• Expert-led sessions with dynamic visual aids
• Comprehensive course manual to support practical application and reinforcement
• Interactive discussions addressing participants’ real-world projects and challenges
• Insightful case studies and proven best practices to enhance learning

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the importance of needs-based selling in the modern sales process.
• Use open-ended questioning and probing techniques to uncover explicit and latent needs.
• Apply active listening and empathy to build rapport and trust.
• Identify the difference between features, advantages, and benefits that matter to the prospect.
• Customize solutions and value propositions based on specific prospect needs.
• Manage objections early by understanding the root concerns.
• Translate prospect needs into actionable next steps and buying commitments.

DAY 1

Introduction to Needs-Based Selling

• Pre-test
• The evolution of sales: from product-push to consultative selling
• Understanding buyer psychology and decision-making behavior
• The role of trust and credibility in uncovering needs
• Key stages of the customer buying journey
• Exercise: Self-assessment and mapping current sales approach

DAY 2

Mastering Questioning Techniques

• The power of asking the right questions
• Types of questions: open, closed, clarifying, probing, hypothetical
• The SPIN model (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff)
• Structuring sales conversations to gather insight
• Workshop: Crafting powerful sales questions

DAY 3

Active Listening and Customer Insight

• What is active listening? Techniques and common barriers
• Reading between the lines: interpreting tone, pauses, and body language
• Emotional intelligence in sales conversations
• Using listening to build rapport and reveal hidden concerns
• Role-play: Listening and reflecting back prospect needs

DAY 4

Aligning Solutions to Prospect Needs

• Translating needs into tailored value propositions
• Differentiating features, advantages, and benefits
• Customizing presentations and pitches for relevance
• Using storytelling to connect emotionally with prospects
• Case study: Matching real prospect needs with solutions

DAY 5

Managing Objections and Advancing the Sale

• Identifying the root causes of objections
• Need vs. budget vs. timing vs. authority issues
• Reframing objections as opportunities
• Gaining agreement and moving to next steps
• Final simulation: Full prospecting and need-discovery conversation
• Action plan, and course wrap-up
• Post-test