The Sandler Selling System® is a seven-step, low-pressure consultative sales method from Sandler in which the seller qualifies pain, budget and the decision process before presenting anything.
Seven steps, in order
The seven steps are: establish bonding and rapport, set an up-front contract, identify the prospect's pain, uncover the budget, identify the decision-making process, present your fulfillment of the agreement, and confirm the post-sell process. The order matters. The rep presents only after the buyer has described the problem, agreed what solving it is worth spending, and explained how the decision gets made. The up-front contract sets roles and ground rules at the start: what the meeting is for, how it will run, and that either side can say no.
- Establish bonding and rapport
- Set an up-front contract
- Identify the prospect's pain
- Uncover the budget
- Identify the decision-making process
- Present your fulfillment of the agreement
- Confirm the post-sell process
In a deal review, a Sandler manager listens for three things and has a question for each.
| What the manager listens for | The question to the rep |
|---|---|
| The meeting opened with an up-front contract | "What did you and the buyer agree the meeting was for?" |
| Pain came before budget | "What did the buyer say the problem costs, before you asked about money?" |
| The decision process is the buyer's own account | "Who told you how they decide, and in what words?" |
A rep who answers the first with "we were just catching up" had no contract, and the rest of the meeting usually shows it. The sales methodology guide compares Sandler with the other common methods.
An up-front contract on a second meeting
This example is illustrative. A rep opens a second meeting with a clinic group's operations lead: "We have 30 minutes. I'd like to understand where scheduling breaks down and what it costs you. If it's not a fit, it's fine to tell me, and if it is, we can agree a next step." The lead describes no-shows costing two doctor-days a week. The rep asks what they have set aside to fix it. The lead says nothing is budgeted. Under Sandler, the rep does not present. The next step is a conversation about whether the cost justifies a budget, and with whom.
Related terms
FAQ
Who created the Sandler Selling System?
David Sandler created the Sandler Selling System. According to the company's own history, he worked with a clinical psychologist to design an approach based on mutual respect, clarity and qualifying decisions. The company that carries his name trains sales teams in it today.
What is an up-front contract in Sandler?
An up-front contract is the agreement at the start of a sales meeting on roles and ground rules: what the meeting is for and how it will run. It is the second of the seven steps, and its job is to make a no an acceptable outcome for both sides.
Is Sandler a qualification framework or a selling methodology?
Sandler is a full selling methodology. It covers the conversation from rapport to after the sale, and builds qualification into the middle steps: pain, budget and the decision process. Teams sometimes pair it with MEDDPICC for deal inspection.