Consultative selling training moves salespeople from pitching products to helping buyers make better decisions. Participants work one live account through the buying process, practising layered questioning, discovery calls, an ROI case, objection handling and a buying-committee meeting. Bodhih runs it over 2 days in person or four 3-hour virtual sessions, with a 90-day account follow-up.
- Delivered in person at your location or as live virtual sessions
- Designed with the ADDIE model and evaluated for behaviour change
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Where and how: consultative selling training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Consultative Selling is a highly-interactive workshop to master critical selling skills, vital tools and compelling techniques to succeed in any sales environment
As bold changes sweep across today’s business landscape with technology (and global mind-sets) enabling instant information, comparison and analysis, the buyers are vastly well equipped to make wiser decisions. There are also far too many players in any industry niche and well-established suppliers face new challengers each passing day. Never have been modern-day sellers under more pressures to win and build on customer trust, bring new ideas and insights for their customers, and consultatively assist clients to make right solution choices that boosts their business growth.
Bodhih’s Consultative Selling training workshop has come after years of industry knowledge and studying a seller’s evolving function in the entire buying cycle.
Consultative Selling approach frequently means working hand-in-hand with value added selling in which sellers present specific products and benefits. To be able to routinely impress clients with product knowledge, industry trends, and best in breed market practices also needs a deep understanding of soft skills and desirable relationship behaviours. The sellers today need to gain and understand precise client needs, identify right solutions, and tailor solutions to maximise client relevance and impact.
These are a few scenarios that participants at Bodhih’s Consultative Selling skills workshop discuss with great interest.
At Bodhih, the consultative approach comes out of a rich theoretical grounding and a widely respected practice-base. Sales success is often demonstrated through a set consistent consultative behaviour. These behaviours sets top sales companies apart, which in turn continually invest more to grow in-house Consultative Selling practices.
What are successful Consultative Selling training behaviours?
At Bodhih, Consultative Selling definition is demonstrated when participants comprehend and build confidence to understand business from customer’s viewpoint, are able to create a rapport with customers, uncover hidden opportunities, present a powerful solution based on real needs, handle difficult situations, awkward questions and objections, negotiate for win-win outcomes, gain commitment and master sales closing techniques.
The consultative sales model begins with participants required to understand the criticality of working and selling in a particular industry.
The seasoned facilitators begin the workshop with an industry quiz that tests learner’s understanding of their client’s business and uniqueness. Thereafter guided through a discussion and class exercises, various types of selling skills are introduced and learners are encouraged to adapt these for their individual products and services as also create clear points of differentiation between key competitors.
Consultative Selling process is governed by the Business to Business buying process.
The B2B buying process typically includes three phases – Awareness, Evaluation and Decision. To be able to identify the transition between these phases and spot white spaces that can present entry-opportunities, workshop participants are guided through preparation templates and also to develop an appreciation for monitoring progress through relevant industry metrics.
Top Consultative Selling skills are primarily driven by positive behaviour.
Bodhih’s participants are coached on nuances of approaching customers (Voice Modulation, Telephone Etiquettes, Body Language). The module on deep customer engagement reinforces the central gist of Consultative Selling, “Attitude determines altitude.
Today’s sales professionals know the importance of understanding customer needs by asking the right questions, uncovering information systematically and demonstrating active listening skills. It is in this context that Bodhih’s seasoned trainers through class exercises, group activities and role-plays help learners to visualize and practice specific techniques to de-layer customer needs accurately.
How can you gain from Consultative Selling training workshops at Bodhih?
Bodhih customizes its Consultative Selling skills training along the ADDIE model.
Workshop experiences are analysed, designed, developed and delivered that are solution focused and include a range of blended training pedagogy such as role plays, group exercises, self-assessment tools, management games, individual activities, videos, case studies, facilitation, discussions and more.
In addition to the ADDIE model, the Consultative Selling approach and techniques takes advantage of the experiential adult-learning process of concrete experience – reflective observation – abstract conceptualization – active experimentation.
The edge in Bodhih’s Consultative Selling process training program comes from researched industry learnings, current best practices and academic insights that ensures consultative skills are grasped and applied at all levels within a company and its individuals. The long-term benefits are to institutionalise consultative sales process that draws link between customer needs and creating the right scenarios to introduce the organization’s products.
At Bodhih’s workshop, participants gain from group discussions and class exercises on consultative approach that details out right pricing techniques by using ROI concept and are also taught to demonstrate assertiveness in closing a deal.
What is Bodhih’s promise for Consultative Selling techniques workshop?
Bodhih’s Consultative Selling steps workshop finally brings it all together in a powerful role play exercise where participants are required to demonstrate consultative approach and learn the secrets of ensuring continual peak performance through a video presentation and facilitator led discussion.
Managers across industries and functions and executive level participants who have attended Bodhih’s sessions on strategic Consultative Selling model report enhancement in the following individual and team behaviours: enhanced consulting skills – questioning, listening; reinforcing effective client management through building proactive relationships, and demonstrating higher ability to provide useful sales advice.
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day workshop moves sellers from pitching products to helping buyers make better decisions. Each participant works on one live account from start to finish. They test their industry knowledge, map where the buyer sits in the buying process, practise layered questioning and listening on discovery calls, build a simple ROI case, handle real objections and ask for commitment. The capstone is a buying-committee meeting on their own account, played by peers with role cards and recorded for self-review.
Participants can plan a discovery call on their own account and uncover layered needs through questioning and listening.
- 09:30–10:15Industry quiz: how well do you know your client?Diagnostic
- 10:15–11:00Where is the buyer right now?Group challenge
- 11:15–11:45Pitching versus consultingConcept burst
- 11:45–13:00Account brief on a pageBuild sprint
- 13:45–14:45The question ladderSkill drill
- 14:45–15:30Listen, then summariseSkill drill
- 15:45–16:45Discovery call, phone then face to faceRole-play
- 16:45–17:30One call I will make differentlyReflection
Participants can present a tailored, value-based solution, handle objections and gain commitment in a buying-committee meeting.
- 09:30–10:00Thirty seconds, in their wordsEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Solution fit and differenceBuild sprint
- 11:15–12:15ROI in the roomBusiness game
- 12:15–13:00Objection clinicCase clinic
- 13:45–14:30Give and getRole-play
- 14:30–15:15Asking for the next stepSkill drill
- 15:30–16:45The buying committeeSimulation
- 16:45–17:30Account plan for the next 90 daysAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions over two weeks, plus a 90-day account follow-up. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is consultative selling skills training?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, followed by a 90-day account follow-up. It also runs as four live virtual sessions of three hours each over two weeks. A one-day version suits a focused refresher, and a longer version adds account planning.
What activities are included in consultative selling skills training?
Participants work on one of their own live accounts throughout. They take an industry quiz, practise layered questioning in trios, run discovery calls by phone and face to face, build an ROI case under challenge, and finish with a recorded buying-committee meeting where peers play the CFO, user head and procurement lead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does consultative selling training cost?
Bodhih does not publish a fixed fee for consultative selling training. Fees are quoted per batch on request, after a short needs analysis, and depend on cohort size, number of days, delivery format (in person, live virtual or blended), location and any follow-up or AssessAll assessments included.
How is consultative selling different from key account management training?
Consultative selling focuses on winning a decision with one buyer: discovery questioning, needs analysis, a value-based solution, objections and gaining commitment. Key account management looks at the whole relationship with strategic customers over years, including account planning, stakeholder maps, value reviews and governance.
What is consultative selling training?
Who is the Consultative Selling Training program for?
Sales teams, account managers and customer-facing professionals. Bodhih tailors the examples, case studies and depth to your industry, culture and team level.
How long is the Consultative Selling Training program?
Bodhih recommends 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions over two weeks, plus a 90-day account follow-up. The length can be shortened or extended after a needs analysis.
Can Consultative Selling Training be delivered online?
Yes. Consultative Selling Training can run in person at your location, as live virtual sessions for distributed or hybrid teams, or as a blended journey that adds self-paced learning on Bodhih.org between sessions.