O futuro das vendas consultivas em mercados digitais
Categoria principal: Sales & Negotiation
Categorias secundárias: Technology & AI | Global Markets
Nível: B1
O futuro das vendas consultivas em mercados digitais
Why Consultative Selling Matters More in a Digital Market
Compradores conseguem pesquisar produtos, comparar fornecedores e utilizar inteligência artificial antes mesmo de conversar com um vendedor. Nesse ambiente, repetir informações disponíveis na internet perde valor. O vendedor precisa compreender problemas, oferecer perspectiva e construir confiança.
Contexto
O processo de compra B2B está cada vez mais distribuído entre canais digitais, reuniões remotas, autosserviço e encontros presenciais. Pesquisa recente da McKinsey indica que compradores empresariais usam, em média, cerca de dez canais durante a jornada de compra, enquanto o interesse por autosserviço digital continua crescendo. Ao mesmo tempo, uma pesquisa do LinkedIn com quase 900 compradores B2B em sete mercados destacou um novo desafio: compradores chegam às conversas comerciais mais informados, inclusive depois de consultar ferramentas de IA. Nesse cenário, o valor do vendedor tende a migrar de “fornecer informação” para “ajudar o cliente a interpretar informação e tomar decisões”.
BUSINESS NEWS IN ENGLISH
The Future of Consultative Selling in Digital Markets
Business buyers have more information than ever before.
Before contacting a salesperson, they can visit company websites, compare products, read customer reviews, watch demonstrations and use artificial intelligence to research possible solutions.
This is changing the role of salespeople.
In the past, a seller often controlled much of the information about a product. Today, the customer may already understand the basic features before the first conversation.
Research from McKinsey shows that B2B customers now move between many different channels during the buying process, including digital self-service, remote communication and traditional meetings.
This means that simply explaining a product may not be enough.
Consultative selling focuses on understanding the customer's situation before recommending a solution.
Instead of beginning with:
“Let me show you our product.”
a consultative seller may begin with:
“What is the biggest challenge your team is trying to solve?”
The salesperson asks questions, listens carefully and tries to understand the customer's objectives, problems and priorities.
Technology can support this process. AI tools can help sellers research companies, organize information and prepare for meetings.
However, technology cannot automatically create trust.
LinkedIn research published in 2025 suggests that B2B buyers who already have access to large amounts of information increasingly value expertise and trust in their interactions with sellers.
In a digital market, the future salesperson may therefore be less like a product presenter and more like a business adviser.
The key skill will not be knowing how to talk more.
It will be knowing how to ask better questions, understand the customer and create useful conversations.
Why It Matters for Business
A internet reduziu o valor comercial da informação básica.
Se preço, características e comparações já podem ser encontrados online, o cliente precisa de outro motivo para conversar com um vendedor.
A venda consultiva tenta preencher justamente essa lacuna.
O vendedor pode:
diagnosticar problemas;
identificar necessidades que o cliente ainda não percebeu;
comparar alternativas;
explicar riscos;
adaptar uma solução;
ajudar diferentes pessoas da empresa a chegar a uma decisão.
Isso não elimina ferramentas digitais. Pelo contrário: o profissional pode usar tecnologia para pesquisar e preparar-se melhor.
O diferencial passa a ser transformar informação em entendimento e decisão.
Business Vocabulary
1. Buyer
Significado: comprador
Definition: A person or organization that purchases something.
Example: The buyer compared several software providers.
2. Consultative selling
Significado: venda consultiva
Definition: A sales approach based on understanding customer needs before recommending a solution.
Example: Consultative selling requires good questions and careful listening.
3. Buyer journey
Significado: jornada de compra
Definition: The process a customer follows before making a purchase.
Example: Digital channels are now important throughout the buyer journey.
4. Self-service
Significado: autosserviço
Definition: A system that allows customers to obtain information or buy without direct assistance.
Example: Many customers prefer digital self-service for simple purchases.
5. Business need
Significado: necessidade empresarial
Definition: A problem or objective that a company needs to address.
Example: The salesperson tried to understand the client's business needs.
6. Pain point
Significado: problema/dor do cliente
Definition: A specific difficulty experienced by a customer.
Example: Slow reporting is an important pain point for the finance team.
7. Sales representative
Significado: representante de vendas
Definition: A professional responsible for selling products or services.
Example: The sales representative prepared carefully for the meeting.
8. Trusted adviser
Significado: consultor/conselheiro de confiança
Definition: A person whose expertise and advice are trusted.
Example: Good sellers try to become trusted advisers to their clients.
9. Insight
Significado: percepção relevante / insight
Definition: A useful understanding of a problem or situation.
Example: The seller offered a useful insight about the client's market.
10. Purchase decision
Significado: decisão de compra
Definition: The decision to purchase a product or service.
Example: Several managers participated in the purchase decision.
Business Expressions
Understand the client's needs
Significado: compreender as necessidades do cliente.We need to understand the client's needs before presenting a solution.
Ask the right questions
Significado: fazer as perguntas certas.Successful sellers know how to ask the right questions.
Add value
Significado: agregar valor.A salesperson should add value to the customer's decision process.
Build trust
Significado: construir confiança.Good communication helps build trust.
Address a problem
Significado: tratar/resolver um problema.Our solution addresses a major logistics problem.
Check Your Understanding
Why do buyers often know more about products before speaking to salespeople today?
What is consultative selling?
What might a consultative seller ask at the beginning of a conversation?
How can AI support sales professionals?
According to the text, what may become one of the most important skills for future salespeople?
Think Like a Professional
If customers can find almost all product information online, what should a salesperson provide that a website cannot?
What questions should a salesperson ask before recommending a product or service?
Mini Performance Task
The Discovery Conversation
Imagine que você vende um serviço para pequenas empresas.
Seu potencial cliente diz:
“I'm interested, but I'm not sure if we really need your service.”
Grave uma resposta de 60–90 segundos.
Não tente vender imediatamente.
Faça pelo menos três perguntas consultivas.
Você pode usar:
What is your biggest challenge with...?
How are you currently handling...?
How much time does your team spend on...?
What would you like to improve?
What happens when this problem occurs?
Depois diga:
Based on what you've told me, I think we should look at...
Answer Guide
1. Because they can research online, compare products, read reviews and use AI before contacting a salesperson.
2. It is a sales approach in which the salesperson understands the customer's needs and problems before recommending a solution.
3. For example: “What is the biggest challenge your team is trying to solve?”
4. AI can help sellers research companies, organize information and prepare for meetings.
5. Asking better questions, understanding customers and creating useful conversations.
Sources
B2B Buyers Reset the Bar — McKinsey & Company — 2026. The research discusses increasingly omnichannel B2B purchasing and reports that buyers use about ten channels across the buying journey.
The Trust Advantage: Why Expertise Wins in the Era of AI-Driven Sales — LinkedIn — October 31, 2025. Research based on nearly 900 B2B buyers across seven markets.
What Buyers Really Want From Sellers — LinkedIn Sales — research on buyers' preference for sellers who understand their business and provide consultative value.
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