Ronaldo Taranto's talk offers a new view on sales and creates a mentoring opportunity for ACATMAR members

ACATMAR's meeting, held at Iate Clube Veleiros da Ilha in Florianópolis, closed with a special talk by Ronaldo Taranto, a specialist in international business development active in the nautical, naval, industrial, oil and gas and supply chain sectors.

With the theme "Selling is not about selling. It is about connecting solutions and opportunities", Taranto presented members with an up-to-date approach to consultative selling, customer relationships and the building of long-term opportunities.

More than presenting sales techniques, the talk offered important reflections on the transformation already underway in the way we sell. Across different markets, the model based only on offering products, pushing for a decision or competing on price is being replaced by a more strategic approach based on listening, knowledge, trust and value creation.

The end of the hard sell

One of the main insights was the need to abandon the sales model in which the professional talks too much, listens too little and presents the product before even understanding the customer's situation.

According to Taranto's approach, the consultative seller must first ask questions, understand the company's reality and identify the problem behind a simple request or quote. Often the customer asks for a product, but their real need relates to reducing costs, meeting deadlines, operational safety, productivity or preventing losses.

When the professional understands this need more deeply, they stop competing on price alone and start presenting a solution with real value.

The right questions reveal opportunities

Another highlight was the power of the right questions during a sales meeting. Before presenting a proposal, it is essential to understand what motivated the need, what the impact would be if the problem were not solved, how the company currently handles that situation and what would be considered an excellent result.

This change in posture turns the sale into a diagnostic process. Instead of just sending a proposal, the professional starts helping the customer see risks, opportunities and needs that were often not yet clear. The talk reinforced that questions show interest, listening shows respect and the solution must deliver results.

The customer does not buy just a product

The presentation also showed that the customer is not interested only in a product's technical features. They want to understand how that solution can reduce risks, generate savings, improve indicators, increase productivity and expand their company's competitiveness.

So, instead of focusing communication on phrases like "our product has", "we have it in stock" or "it is made with a certain technology", the professional should demonstrate the result that will be generated. The sale thus builds a bridge between the problem and the result the customer expects.

From negotiation to partnership

The talk also stressed that the best deals do not always arise at the moment of a negotiation. They appear when the customer realizes there is someone truly committed to their success. This happens when the professional follows up on results, shares knowledge, anticipates needs, connects people and opportunities and stays present even after the sale.

By adopting this posture, the seller stops being just a supplier and becomes recognized as a strategic partner. Relationship, trust, new projects, partnerships and results form a cycle capable of generating recurring business and more lasting commercial relationships.

More knowledge for members

Participants left the meeting with more background, new insights and a different way of looking at sales and customer relationships. In a fast-changing market, staying up to date is essential. Companies that keep using only old sales methods may lose ground to professionals and organizations that know how to listen, interpret needs and present solutions more precisely. The talk showed that selling better does not mean talking more. It means understanding better.

After the meeting, Ronaldo Taranto thanked ACATMAR for the invitation and the welcome, highlighted the quality of the event and made available to members the full transcript of the original talk, which had to be adapted during the meeting due to the number of participants and the diversity of segments present.

As a follow-up, three member companies that took part in the meeting will receive an individual 15-minute mentoring session with Ronaldo Taranto. The first three interested companies may get in touch to continue the work and analyze their commercial challenges in a more focused way.

The initiative reinforces one of ACATMAR's commitments: to provide members not only with integration and representation, but also with practical knowledge, professional updating and new tools for the development of their businesses.

Selling is not just presenting a product. It is understanding a problem, generating value and connecting the right solution to the right opportunity.