Principle 01 · Consultative Selling

There is more to consultative selling than questioning skills

Whiteboard framework connecting listening, direction, diagnosis, value, trust and commitment — A practical loop: listen carefully, choose direction, diagnose, establish value, build trust and agree the next step.

The principle · 2016

Consultative selling is not a list of clever questions. It is a way of approaching the whole meeting: understand the client's world first, then shape a solution together.

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Editorial perspective · AI in practice

Buyers now arrive having asked an AI about you, your competitors and your prices. The consultant's edge moves from information to diagnosis: helping the buyer see what the research missed.

How to apply it this week

Use AI to build a pre-meeting brief, then spend the meeting testing it, not reciting it.
Ask: 'What did your own research tell you, and what still feels uncertain?'
Let the human conversation focus on judgement, priorities and risk.