Solution Selling helped me achieve 163% of our sales quota!

 

My experience with Solution Selling and how it helped us sail through the COVID-19 times!

Smart buying is taking over in the 21st Century. We all have an amazing tool called the “Internet” that enlightens and guides us with unlimited knowledge at our fingertips, leading to better decision-making regarding problems' solutions.

So, how does a Salesperson go ahead with Solution Sales in the first place? — The answer to this is by probing! The more a Salesperson probes, the better chances he has to know the pain point (problem) that his prospect is facing.

What’s Solution Selling?

When it comes to Solution Sales as a Selling method, let’s read how Wikipedia explains it. As per Wikipedia,

“Solution selling is a sales methodology. Rather than just promoting an existing product, the salesperson focuses on the customer’s problems and addresses the issue with appropriate offerings (products and services). The problem resolution is what constitutes a “solution”. Solution selling is usually used in sales situations where products are just one of the elements that lead to a solution. Often the real solution develops after the sales process — as with software or large plant engineering and construction projects. It is typical for solution selling situations that the buyer only rarely purchases such a solution and instead needs the knowledge of the solution partner.”

Frank Watts developed the sales process dubbed “solution selling” in 1975, and since then, Solution selling is practiced immensely across industries. Solution selling has worked wonders in the tech world wherein a Salesperson focuses more on the problem faced by a customer resulting in a problem — led selling.

How does the Sales Process look like in Solution Sales?

• Do your prospecting, right!
• Qualify well. (Know the decision-makers).
• Prepare your questions.
• Make a discovery call.
• Ask your questions in a great flow. (The customer should not be interrogated).
• Learn about the problem.
• Add value.
• Solve the problem with your product!
• Close.
• Have a coffee! — As coffee is only for closers! ;)

Some of my favorite set of questions on a call.

• What’s your prospect’s job title?
• Is your prospect a decision-maker?
• Which problems do they hope your product will help them solve?
• How are they currently trying to achieve this?
• What do they like most about their current approach?
• What do they want to be improved?
• Have they used a similar product in the past ( or are they currently?)
• What other products are they evaluating?
• Who are the stakeholders involved in the deal?
• How do they feel about your product? What are their individual objectives, objections, wants, and needs?
• How are they evaluating your solution? Which KPI (Key performance indicator) do they want your product to push?
• Why is the prospect interested in your solution?

Why do I find ABC as yesterday’s Sales Approach?

I’m sure you must have seen Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross, shouting at the team to have an Always be Closing approach when talking with the prospects, the call to action being to get the client sign on the line that’s dotted! If you haven’t, then here’s the link.

The problem is, psychologically, this approach or mindset does not work as it promotes push and misselling. This kind of method made Sales a sleazy profession, whereas Sales is helping, spelled differently.

Try it out for yourself!

You do not need to shift your sales process altogether, but you will need to tweak the approach and see the results for yourself.

Solution Selling approach is where the main focus is on the problem faced by your prospect resulting in a problem — led selling.

I’ve read articles that claim that solution selling is the dead and consultative approach to be better than the solution selling approach but, if you ask me, I will go with both Solution and Consultative Sales approach as both the approaches go hand in hand. But that’s a topic for another blog! :)

Psst.