Sales excellence comes from moving beyond transactional selling to a consultative approach where buyers see you as a trusted advisor. That means buyers do not see you as someone just looking to close a deal, but a partner focused on helping them address their specific pains and challenges.

That’s the approach of Jeff Gelinas, President of Employee and Consumer Engagement & Incentives at Engage2Excel and Hinda Incentives. Jeff and his SVP of Sales lead the sales team with a focus on customer journey alignment, shared best practices, continual skill development, and deep industry expertise. His strategy combines process discipline with a strong commitment to keeping his team fresh and relevant in the markets they serve.

Jeff outlines three key elements in building and sustaining trusted advisor relationships:

A Journey-Oriented Sales Process

Jeff describes the sales process at Engage2Excel and Hinda Incentives as not product-centric but focused on the customer journey in understanding and evaluating engagement solutions. Instead of pushing products, his team works from a structured playbook for each stage of the sales process and type of conversation. This means asking the right questions to uncover pain points, building trust, understanding why you would win or lose, and tracking opportunities to ensure they’re real — avoiding wasted time on check-the-box deals.

Continually Building Skills Through Coaching

For Jeff’s team, skill growth is a constant priority. Front-line managers engage in regular skills coaching with team members and encourage peer-to-peer learning. “We work with a third party partner that helps measure our success in career development,” he explains, ensuring that salespeople have clear expectations and consistent feedback. This method creates a disciplined approach to improving sales effectiveness at every stage of the customer journey.

Developing Industry Expertise

Jeff emphasizes the importance of keeping the sales team current and fresh with the trends happening in the market. Each week, they host deep-dive sessions featuring experts from areas such as merchandising, product management, and analytics. These sessions ensure that when a salesperson meets with a customer, they can effectively speak to and dialogue about what is happening in the customers’ world. This investment of time ensures every rep is equipped with both the technical knowledge and market insight needed to offer relevant, valuable guidance.

In conclusion, Jeff’s approach blends a structured process with continuous learning and market awareness. By focusing on the buyer’s journey, reinforcing skills through measurable coaching, and keeping the team informed on industry trends, Engage2Excel and Hinda Incentives position its salespeople as true trusted advisors. This not only builds credibility but also creates lasting relationships grounded in understanding, relevance, and shared business outcomes.