The document outlines a needs assessment for improving consultative selling skills in a retail call center, revealing management's disconnect with staff beliefs regarding customer service. Key recommendations include enhancing management engagement, providing targeted training, and aligning corporate culture to better support consultative selling. The assessment also highlights specific barriers such as time constraints for training and the need for clearer operational guidelines.

1. Increasing Consultative
Selling Skills
Sample Needs Assessment: Retail Call Center
Thanks for looking at this
sample needs assessment. This
call center needed staff to be
more consultative. Their
attempts to encourage this had
been unsuccessful.

2. Executive Summary
Our top 3 Recommendations:
This is a quick
visual overview
of our findings,
not a full report.
1. Management: connect and relate to engage
2. Offer Training: OJT, Classroom & E-learning
3. Make it believable

3. Purpose, Goals & Objectives
How can we meet
more customers’
needs by having our
CSR’s become
more consultative?

4. The Process
1. Gather initial information by
interviewing HR Manager
We custom fit this
process to best fit
the particular need.
2. Create Needs Assessment Plan
choosing collection methodology
3. Refine plan with client input
4. Launch dual response surveys
5. Analyze findings
6. Share results and recommendations

5. Needs and Findings
Technical Terminology & Knowledge
Core Beliefs
Enjoy this quick tour
of our findings.
We’ll check back with
you at the end…
Sale Skills Implementation &
Lack of Time to Train
Diverging Points of View of Call
Time Expectations
Pop-Up Application Efficiency

6. Technical Terminology
and Knowledge
16 out of 19 mangers
rated reps low on
these skills.

7. Core Beliefs
“Despite the
attempts to make
them believe it, I
think most reps feel
selling benefits the
company more than
the customer.”
We asked mangers their
perception of CSRs’
beliefs…only two
responded positively.

8. High Profile Initiatives compete with the
Time needed to Train

9. Diverging Points of View
of Call Time Expectations
I wonder if I’ll
be in trouble
for spending
too much time
on calls?

10. Pop-Up Application Efficiency
“….some descriptions are too vague….”
“…..it slows us down.”
“ …..sometimes our cross-sells and up-sells don’t
make sense…..”
“ ….if they were a different color than the screen
I am currently on…..”

11. Options
Connect & Relate
Training
Make it believable
Culture
Technology
Rewards
Input from reps and
managers suggested
no shortage of ideas
that would help!
Selling Skills
Alignment
Make it fun

12. 1. Connect & Relate to Engage
Listening builds goodwill
Listening enables you to be
proactive and responsive
Relationships = Engagement

13. 2. Deliver training that gets results

14. 3. Make it believable
The customer has provided
great feedback on the extra
effort to suggest solutions!
Selling really is a service.

15. 4. Align the culture
I wonder what
they really want?

16. 5. Explore your Rewards

17. 6. Assess the technology
Are the pop-ups:
Clear enough to read?
Loading quickly enough?
Helpful to the customer?

18. 7. Train Consultative Selling Skills
OJT is a great way to
reinforce and provide
spot coaching, but it
may not be best for
initial learning.
Online, self-paced
learning helps reps
understand technical
products.
Classroom learning is
great for practicing
consultative selling skills.

19. 8. Align objectives & internal controls
• The objective - answer as many calls as possible
• The objective - take the time to explore needs
What objectives are being communicated?

20. 9. Reward Goal Achievement & Fun!
“…when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a
significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and
communication -- leading to lower turnover, higher morale, and a
stronger bottom line.”
Monster.com

21. Top Recommendations
Where will you get the greatest result for
the least effort and investment?
1. Connect & Relate to Engage
2. Train
3. Develop the Beliefs

22. #1 Connect & Relate to Engage
Gain first hand knowledge
Offer the right tools
Be certain of what’s needed
Be aware of trends early
Increase loyalty
Build higher engagement

23. #2 Training
Plain & simple: to be consultative requires
1. Product knowledge
2. Consultative skills
We used to have training modules for new
products or product lines that described benefits
of new printers, routers, and other things.
I liked these because when I finished I knew how to
sell them. Now, we don't always know exactly why
one item is better than another. Yes, we can “call
technology” for business customers, but that takes
time.
It would be helpful to have more knowledge about
the products we carry.

24. #3 Make it believable
What we can or cannot do…
is rarely a function of our true
capability. It is more likely a
function of our beliefs about
who we are.
Tony Robbins

25. Thanks for viewing.
We’re offering a complimentary
custom needs assessment
to introduce our capabilities.
Let’s discuss how we can help…
Contact The TEAM Approach
today!
susan@teamapproach.com