Trust is the primary motivator behind the consultative process, and most salespeople who are considered consultant to their buyers have earned trust through high levels of service and consistent evidence of product and market knowledge. In other words, the salesperson has added value to the process. Sometimes, you luck out. On the very day you are calling on a new buyer, they happen to be looking for information not readily available to that person previously. I have a consulting client whose salesman ran into just a circumstance the other day.

A new prospect buying for a large trade association had overloaded the in-house art department and was looking for freelance artists to help out. The salesman went back to his office and located a web site of freelance artists in the Washington area for the buyer to use as a reference. He e-mailed the buyer, then called to tell him what the e-mail was for. The buyer was so grateful, he made sure the salesman got the very next job he quoted on.

Some years ago, I had a customer with a regular publication that required a lightweight, colored, offset stock. I was working for my Dad's printing company and we specialized in printing on lightweight bond for our largest customer. I called the paper company that made all the lightweight bond and asked them if they could produce colors. They told me they would be delighted to invent a color if the order was significant enough. It was. I took the customer to meet the paper people and a color was invented. The customer also saved a fortune in postage that allowed him to add a cover to the product that would serve as a sales tool for years to come. More than 20 years later, that customer is still with the firm my family used to own.

Last year I got to hear the value of consultative selling from the other side of the desk. My friend Gerhard Gschwandtner, publisher of Personal Selling Power magazine, told me that his magazine used to be a tabloid on newsprint. His printing salesman worked for a company that had just put in heatset webs. He made the suggestion that Gerhard go to a coated magazine format with full color. He ran a spreadsheet of figures on increased sales revenue for color advertising, and Gerhard made the decision to go with the new format. Even though his printing and paper bills almost doubled, he says that the decision made him a wealthy man at an earlier age than might ever have been achieved in the newspaper format. Gerhard never shopped printers until that salesman left. When he did switch, it was because the new printer had an idea about the increased value that perfect binding would bring the magazine.

What is the power of becoming a consultant? It is the power of becoming a determining factor in the buyer's decision-making process. It is invaluable to you because it allows you to guide a buyer's decision toward solutions in which you have played a role. It is imperative that you do your best for the buyer who invites you into the role. Look for ways to improve the processes your customers use by looking to the strengths of your company. If you have a specialty, tell your customer how others are using that specialty to profit.

Finally, keep in mind why consultants exist in the first place. They are called in to solve problems for which the client has no clear solutions. Ask your customers about the challenges they face and think about ways you can find them the help they require to solve them. Look at the big picture your customers face and ask questions to gain a better understanding of how you might help. When you help people solve problems, you become known as a valuable resource. Your customer will focus on your value, not your price.