Book Review: Selling to Meet Customer Goals

Book Review by Mike Evans

Customer Centric Selling by Michael T. Bosworth and John R. Holland
McGraw-Hill, 2004. ISBN 0-07-142545-4

This book was developed out of Bosworth’s 1993 seminal book, Solution Selling. 

The book begins with a series of chapters that look at the sales experience from the point of view of the buyers of a “business-to-business” transaction expecting business benefits.  The next section describes the sales process required for Customer Centric selling and the effect on marketing, and introduces the concept of Sales-Ready messaging.  A subsequent set of chapters detail how Customer Centric selling would work in each step of the sales process.  Finally, there are short chapters dealing with assessing sales representative performance, indirect selling, and implementing changes in the sales process to achieve Customer Centric selling.

The ideas in this book are by no means unique. Customer Centric Selling supports the concept that selling a product or service in business-to-business transactions is all about helping the prospective customer build an investment business case.  This approach contrasts with books that argue that a good sales representative who follows their advice can build a relationship with a C-level executive, who will then buy a product from them without any reasoned business case.

The key message of this book is that sales situations are won by helping customers see how the product or service being offered will be used to meet their business goals.  The recommended sales process leads all of the stakeholders to contribute to that objective. 

The book is well written, with the intended audience clearly defined.  It seeks to change the behaviour of the average sales person who is selling to mainstream buyers rather than “natural” star sales people.  In a way, it complements Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm theory as pioneer buyers work out for themselves the application of the offer.  Their sales representatives need to be consultants on the technology, not the business usage. 

My only criticism of this book is that it does not sufficiently address the issue of indirect sales.

Nonetheless, even for those familiar with the concept of solution selling, I recommend reading this book to refresh your memory and remember to think of the prospect’s objectives before your own.