88% of B2B buyers only finalize a purchase when they see the vendor as a trusted advisor – not just a seller. This shift demands a move from transactional sales to consultative selling – an approach that relies on deep insights into the client’s business and personalizing interactions with the clients to align solutions to their strategic agenda. 

To achieve this, sales teams are increasingly turning to AI Sales Intelligence to analyze real-time data and extract actionable insights. By uncovering hidden opportunities, understanding buyer intent, and aligning pitches with a prospect’s specific pain points, sales teams can transform their approach from merely selling products to offering strategic, customized solutions. This not only improves close rates but also builds long-term partnerships based on trust. 

The 3- Step Approach to Consultative Sales  

Here is a streamlined 3-step framework to adopt a consultative sales approach effectively – 

Step 1 – Identifying Buyer’s Pain Points and Business Priorities (What to sell): 

AI Sales Intelligence helps sales teams identify a prospect’s immediate and long-term priorities by analyzing digital priority signals, current installed base, and hiring trends. These insights reveal what challenges the buyer is focused on – such as cost optimization, scalability, or security – enabling sales teams to position their solutions as direct responses to these challenges. 

For example, suppose your target account is opening a new GCC focused on implementing Gen AI in cloud services. This shows a clear focus on secure cloud environments and scalable AI capabilities. With this sales intelligence, sales team can highlight how their solution can reduce costs and enhance security – directly addressing the GCC’s priorities. 

 Step 2 – Pinpointing the Right Decision-Maker and their Priority (Whom to sell):  

Identifying the right decision-makers and understanding their influence over budgets and strategic priorities is crucial. AI Sales Intelligence helps sales teams discover who holds budget control and what their key focus areas are – whether it’s cost efficiency, innovation, or risk management. Knowing their existing service provider relationships also helps tailor the pitch to align with current preferences. 

For example, suppose a tech giant is expanding its AI-driven analytics capabilities. AI sales intelligence reveal that the CTO controls the IT budget and is primarily concerned about data security risks during deployment, not just managing budgets. Knowing this, the sales team can focus on how their solution minimizes security risks and ensures compliance – positioning the solution as optimal to scale AI efforts effectively. 

Step 3 – Personalize Your Pitch with AI-driven insights (How to sell):  

AI Sales Intelligence allows sales teams to replace generic pitches with personalized solutions that directly address the buyer’s pain points and strategic goals. By focusing on specific needs – like cost efficiency, scalability, or risk management – sales teams can present their solutions as indispensable tools for achieving business objectives. This approach not only enhances the relevance of the pitch but also positions the sales team as a trusted advisor rather than a vendor. 

For example, suppose your target account is a manufacturing company looking to streamline its supply chain. AI insights based on earning call transcripts reveal that the company is under pressure to cut lead times and reduce waste. Sales team can craft a pitch focused on how their solution optimizes inventory management and streamlines logistics – showing exactly how it can solve the buyer’s immediate challenges. 

Rethink Your Sales Strategy with Solution-Oriented Selling 

Shifting to consultative sales isn’t just about adopting a new strategy – it’s about transforming how your sales team understands and engages with prospects. AI Sales Intelligence is at the core of this transformation, making account planning smarter, account-based marketing more targeted, and sales intelligence sharper. By leveraging sales intelligence, sales teams can replace generic pitches with personalized solutions that align directly with a prospect’s goals and challenges. 

The result? Higher win rates, stronger customer relationships, and a more sustainable path to revenue growth. For sales leaders aiming to stay ahead of the competition, making the shift to consultative sales isn’t just a smart move – it’s a necessity. 

Sales intelligence platforms like Draup helps Microsoft, Salesforce, Accenture, CapGemini and 260+ others fast track account planning by revealing market/account-level signals, buyer behavior, decision-making patterns, existing tech stack and channel partner ecosystems. 

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