Mastering Consultative Sales for Mission-Driven Partnerships

By: Ginny Roche-Kelly

Consultative sales, also known as needs-based selling, is a sales approach where relationship managers act more like advisers than traditional salespeople to unlock more value for both parties. The long-term relationship is the priority, not just a single transaction.

For Momentum has been teaching and training development teams on our proven consultative sales model for over two decades. Our methods work because they go beyond theory. We walk in practitioners’ shoes every day and share best practices that help nonprofit teams strengthen their sales skills.  As the successful developer of hundreds of partnerships, we are uniquely positioned to deeply understand the challenges that come with cause partnership sales.

Consultative sales is a transformative model that turns selling into relationship-building. It’s not so much about the hard sell, but about building genuine, mutually beneficial partnerships, where you serve as an extension of your corporate partner’s team.

Use these tips to help your team begin moving toward a consultative sales model.

Start with a fresh look at your landscape

Before you can sell anything, you must understand the world you’re selling into. This first step is about gathering intelligence, not only to beat out competition, but also with an eye toward long-term collaboration.

• • Cause Marketing 101: Develop a few slides about your unique positioning in the marketplace that your team can build off during their sales conversations. Help them understand why this positioning differentiates your organization and makes you stand out in the crowd.
  • Trendspotting: Understand current trends in philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to identify new engagement opportunities and upsells. Tracking how other organizations activate their partnerships can help you gain new ideas. Look at current data and news to understand what companies want most out of their partnerships. Read our latest Partnership Shift report to get a head start

• • Competitive Analysis: Find your unique value proposition. For example, if you’re a youth organization, what makes you different from similar organizations? What unique space can you own? How are competitors bringing their partnership activations to life and who are they partnering with? Keeping track can help you target similar companies in a unique way.

The takeaway: A consultative mindset starts with knowledge. The more knowledgeable you become, the more you are seen as a trusted advisor, not just a fundraiser.

The art of the consultative pitch

You’ll need to develop a few practical skills to move from a traditional sales pitch to a consultative conversation. Remember the key is to build a relationship, not just have one pitch meeting.

• Key skills to master:
  • Developing Effective Sales Materials: Create compelling decks and proposals that tell a story, not just list stats. Having solid materials that highlight your organization’s work through images and key stories will help your team feel more confident once they book the meeting.
  • Thoughtful Pitching: Learn to ask powerful questions, actively listen and diagnose a partner’s needs. Remember, you are trying to get to know them, build a rapport and take that information into a second conversation. The sale often does not happen in one meeting.

The takeaway: This is about shifting the focus from “what we need” to “how we can help,” resulting in more meaningful and lasting partnerships. 

Aligning your team

Consultative sales isn’t a solo sport. It requires a unified team, all working toward the same goals. If your team is inexperienced in selling partnerships, we highly recommend a consultative sales training like the one we completed for the Arthritis Foundation or ongoing strategic guidance services to level up your team’s collective selling expertise.

If your team members are already pros at consultative sales, we recommend yearly planning sessions to refresh.

• Key activities:
  • Facilitated Planning: Create a one-day summit that gets everyone in the same room, focused on shared objectives. Create simulated activities where colleagues practice their pitches with each other and receive valuable feedback.
    • Overcoming Objections: Discuss the common reasons why prospects aren’t committing to partnerships; demonstrate techniques for handling and diffusing objectives.
    • Exchanging Strategies for Growth: Share effective and innovative stewardship strategies that are delivering renewed partnerships and increasing YOY engagement.
  • From Intangible to Tangible: Highlight the consultative sales strategies your team is implementing on a regular basis and be sure your team is regularly tracking their achievements in a team dashboard. This will help teams turn high-level goals into concrete, measurable actions.

The takeaway: A well-aligned team speaks with one voice, making the consultative sales process smoother and more effective for everyone involved.

 

Consultative sales isn’t a tactic; it’s a philosophy that empowers nonprofits to build deeper, more impactful relationships that drive real change.

 

If you need training or strategic guidance on your sales process, we’re here to help. Reach out to us with any consultative sales questions.