What is collaborative selling? Before explaining the definition of collaborative selling, think about the traditional salesperson - What comes to mind? Pushy? Manipulative? When people think of a salesperson, the image of the used car salesman often comes to mind. They think of someone that wants to sell at any cost in order to make his commission. Collaborative selling uses a different mindset; it is a technique and method of selling that aims to develop trust and respect between the salesperson and the customer. A salesperson that uses collaborative selling recognizes that customers can see through manipulative sales techniques and would rather buy from someone that they trust, so he does not use these manipulative sales techniques.

The main principle in collaborative selling is that the customer is a partner when it comes to solving his problems and determining his needs. The salesperson collaborates with his customer, meaning that what is best for the customer is best for the salesperson. Pundits of collaborative selling argue that using this approach provides long-term benefits for the salesperson. Whereas a pushy salesperson may aim to get the most profit out of the present sale, a collaborative salesperson recognizes that he may not get the most out of the first sale but he may gain more lifetime customers by being trustworthy and a good problem-solver. Not only that, but using a collaborative sales approach could also lead to more business referrals. This would lead to more sales in the long term.

When you use collaborative selling, you throw away your gimmicks. Gimmicks are the domain of pushy salespeople and customers don't appreciate them. You don't need to embellish with unnecessary features or benefits. Just be straight and upfront and your customers will thank you for that.

Collaborative selling is about building relationships and when you build relationships you get more customers.