Selling the Solution

By Ralph Cerullo

Selling the solution, not the product, is the most important lesson we can learn as salespeople. Why? Simply put, no one cares about your product or service. The only thing that anyone cares about is their problem and how to manage it. Your job as a salesperson is to provide value and although you may understand the value in the specifics of what you sell, only portions of that value may be relevant to your client.

What should you do?

Stop being selfish! If you approach every meeting geared up to beat your prospect over the head with facts, figures, and specs, then you’re probably going to be disappointed with the result. Sharing is about providing value and receiving value. It is a collaborative process and should be a give and take between both parties. You should be entering every conversation with the idea that you are going to give just enough to get the information you need to adequately give some more. And, that more will need to be more information of value and substance. This cycle will continue until the prospect is ready to solve their problem with the solution you’ve provided specifically for their use case.

How do you know what to sell?

It’s impossible to sell a solution when you’re not sure what it is! It makes sense to feel that way, however, it may be that you're selling too early in the process. Pace yourself. The more expensive the product or service, the longer the sales cycle typically is. Sell too early and you will never connect and make enough headway to provide a solution. Try developing the relationship first and worry about what you’ll need to propose later. By the time you are giving a presentation and providing a proposal, you should already have a clear idea of what they need, when, and how to best provide it.

How do you know a solution from an option?

Options drive choice, solutions drive execution. A salesperson that presents an option will be driving a comparative or evaluation process. A salesperson who understands a very specific problem and eliminates it will close the deal. Solutions are conclusions, they eliminate further searching. We need to be very clear that we have identified a solution before presenting it to an end user. Some ways to determine if you are harboring an option or if you are sitting on an actual solution is to answer these questions.

1.  Does your suggestion leave unresolved issues or challenges that may need to be worked through later?
2.  Does your offer immediately resolve or eliminate a pain point?
3.  Can they replicate your solution by themselves or with a competitor’s product or service?

To have a truly adequate solution, you will want it to be void of additional challenges it reveals or creates, immediately solve the problem, and proprietary or at least unique to your company in its design or delivery.

In closing, it makes sense to spend much time prior to a sales call evaluating and retooling your offer to be uniquely suited to solve your client’s very specific problem. Don’t rush into a situation with an option that keeps them shopping and you struggling to regain control of your sales process.