Many people ask me what sales methodology I use. I'm very familiar with 2: Mike Bosworth's Solution Selling and Infomentis' Value Selling Process. I'm a big believer in deploying a sales methodology primarily because, a) most of them accurately reflect the stages of the buying process, b) they provide a common communication framework for the selling organization, and c) when set against running a sales organization by word of mouth, they work. I use a process which is a combination of the methodologies I've learned, the unique gifts that I bring, and the sales experiences that I've had.
If you are traveling blindly down a path, it is by definition not your own. Hence, using sales methodology too rigorously, without your unique gifts, creativity, and experience, will ultimately fall short. Each of us brings a unique set of talents and experiences to our selling environments. We should augment sales methodology with these gifts in order to differentiate ourselves in what is increasingly becoming an ocean of selling sameness.
In short, sales methodology is crucial; but it should be your servant, not your master.
