Ask most salespeople and they’ll tell you they engage in consultative selling. When asked how they accomplish this or ways in which they measure the effectiveness of their consultative approach, you’ll often get a convoluted answer at best. The reality is consultative selling has become another of the buzz words that people apply to a sales process that is anything but fully consultative.

To test if you are being a consultant versus just selling, try the following:

1. Engage your next three prospects in the manner you normally do.

2. Upon developing an understanding of your potential customer, mirror back what you believe to be their stated business needs.

3. Then, share the additional needs you discover that they were unaware of, and how your service will address them.

If your prospect concurs with your recap in step two, you’ve just engaged in order taking. Only when your prospective customer acknowledges the value of your assessment and proposed solution in step three can you call yourself a consultative salesperson.

Missing the mark on that third, consultative step? Not to worry. This is an indicator that it’s time to fully develop the skills of a consultative salesperson by equipping yourself with the right questions and process.