Solution messaging should be guided by an overall key theme solution, campaign or thought leadership focused, tightly intertwined with the master. This is the benefit of going slow you can pull a listing down, readjust back office and manufacturing needs and then get back up, running and making money fast. Understanding the differences between a product whether it is a good or a service and a solution enables the product marketer to properly communicate with prospective business buyers, putting the focus on the right mix of information about how and claims about what the product or solution can do. Product selling vs solution selling wscott crosley xant team. Aug, 2012 solution messaging should focus on business issues and customer needs, not features or capabilities of the offering, integrating voiceofthecustomer perspectives and peer testimonials. Leadership and revenue growth expert scott edinger explains what selling a solution really means and why it is vital when selling large deals or sophisticated products and services. How to make money selling amazon physical products over the last few months, ive been working on private labelling and selling my own physical product on amazon. The only way for me to be aware of the tricks of the trade was through sales books, and solution selling was one of the many that i turned to. The difference between selling product and selling solution. While traditional solution selling is still dead, the changing b2b landscape has given rise to a new bestinbreed sales methodology. Read on to learn how the prospect theory can help you move from product and solution selling to value selling. The term solution infers that the proposed new product produces improved outcomes and successfully resolves the customer problem. After reading this book, salespeople and sales managers will be able.
Customers liked the idea, a lot, and so did the sales people. Solution selling created new rules for onetoone selling of hardto sell items. Dec 05, 2003 solution selling created new rules for onetoone selling of hardtosell items. Mike bosworth is probably the smartest guy i ever met in the sales training world. Develop proficiency at solution selling a customerfocused approach to salesand learn why it is critical when selling large deals and sophisticated products and services. How selling a solution is different from selling a product. Entrepreneurs shouldnt sell the product, rather the solution. Product and service selling is based on the salespersons ability to uncover a buyers need and then introduce the benefits of a product or service that will most closely and effectively. Sell the problem you solve, not the product you offer. What you should be doing is highlighting the benefits of. This is a module from martecs retail solution selling suite which can be studied as an individual class if you choose not to take the full suite. Oct 29, 2007 the reason that solution selling is honored more in the breach than the observances lies, at least in part, with the word itself. A product or service sale results from solving a problem.
As such, any silos or archaic compensation strategies that impede solution selling. Sales chapter 6 creating product solutions quizlet. Keith eades is the founder, president, and ceo of sales performance international, one of todays foremost sales performance organizations. Product selling vs solution selling wscott crosley. Solution selling ppt sales business free 30day trial. The new solution selling shows how to apply the proven solution selling approach in the cantstoptotalk pace of todays business. The solution selling process is exactly what it sounds like. Corporate executive board ceb research and the challenger sale book. Instead of taking a conventional solutionsales approach, he used an insight selling strategy, revealing to the customer needs it didnt know it had. Whats really the difference between solution and product. As enterprises shift their focus from product to solution, the need for highly qualified solution marketing talent is on every cmos agenda. What is the difference between a product and a solution. Product versus solution selling business 2 community. Many organizations claim to have switched from selling products to selling solutions.
Is there a difference between selling products and services. In the past, sales and marketing was all about showing off features this medicine has 600mg acetaminophen, then it moved to benefits this medicine will make you feel better, now, its evolved to solving problems this medicine will remove your headache. Solving a problem march 29, 2012 by peter raulerson leave a comment all of my clients have struggled to reorient their thinking from selling a product or service, to solving the customers problem. Instead, you are trying to focus on a customers pain point, and address how your product or service is the best solution to. The emphasis here is on solving a buyers need as against trying to sell him a productservice. Solution selling has a salesperson or sales team use a sales process that is a problemled rather than product led approach to determine if and how a change in a product could bring specific improvements that are desired by the customer. Jul 29, 2009 solution selling methodology michael nitso, director ww sales summer 2009 1 slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. As such, any silos or archaic compensation strategies that impede solution selling should be. Jan 26, 2017 the solutionselling methodology isnt just for the sales team. And management often ignorant of the subtle differences between selling products or services and selling solutions become frustrated when.
But many product managers out there are working hard on other types of software products, such as enterprise or infrastructure software, both shipped software and hosted services. With this approach, the sales conversation focuses on how the buyers life will be improved with the asset at hand, rather than the actual features and hardfacts related to the product. Dec 18, 2007 article by martina lauchengco and marty cagan we realize that most of our topics concern the development of internet services, and mostly consumer internet services at that. The solution selling fieldbook helps you integrate the plans nutsandbolts techniques into your own daytoday practices, and immediately gain access to key decision makers, diagnose buyers business issues, and increase topline sales. Mike bosworth has the best understanding of sales process in corporate america. The powerful and proven solution selling r process, updated for todays highspeed, higherpressure sales challenges. If conflict and time are a concern, another strategy is to sell your products under a new brand name. The result is a logical and practical process for sales success, one that improves both individual productivity and organizational return on investment. The concept of solution selling has been around since the mid 70s thats the earliest reference i can find, and popularized in a number of books with solution selling in the title. Product versus solution selling partners in excellence blog. Bosworth author two books on the topic of creating buyers in difficult selling markets. Dec 29, 2015 selling the solution, not the product 1. For starters, determining what solutions are required are based on value, not the features and benefits of the product or service. Siriusdecisions estimates 55 percent of b2b enterprises gotomarket primarily leveraging their solution marketing function, either through a horizontal solution or industry vertical orientation.
Opinions expressed by forbes contributors are their own. I invested in the amazing selling machine with matt clark and jason katzenback a few months ago really amazing course btw and have been going through all of the modules with my. The original solution selling rewrote the rules for the sales profession. Let me convince you to do something, so ill get what i want. The new solution selling focuses on streamlining the proven solution selling process and quickly differentiating both oneself and ones products from the competition while decreasing the time spent between initial qualifying and a successful, profitable close. Solution selling methodology training linkedin slideshare. In this world the celebrated solution sales rep can be more of an annoyance than an asset. Besides yourself, who else is impacted by this pain and how.
I write about issues facing mom and pop entrepreneurs. Second, they pursue customers that have an emerging need or are in a state of organizational flux. The solution selling matrix is a perfect tool to define an initial solution for addressing the pains of a prospect moving into system integration what is causing you to have this pain. Consultative selling is a more complex, longterm process involving collaboration of both buyer and seller, in which the latter must first develop an understanding of the customers business. Oct 11, 2016 one thats preventing them from selling more successfully.
The software and web industry can learn a lot from the lumber industry, the oil business, and corn and soybean farmers. Pick the right sales methodology for your product, industry, prospects, and team. The concept of solution selling has been around since the mid 70s thats the earliest reference i can find, and popularized in a number of books. This is a highly practical selfhelp training focussing on solution selling and the core sales communication tools and activities. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Creating buyers in difficult selling markets, was brilliant, and full of great. Dec 22, 2014 successful selling means showing your prospective customers how your product meets their needs and why your offering is the right solution. First, you have to understand how a solution is positioned in terms of two key variables, customization and integration. Solution selling goes beyond simply selling products or services. May 01, 2012 with these, the customer wouldnt have to worry whether the product was right the solution would ensure satisfaction. Under the conventional solution selling method that has prevailed since the 1980s, salespeople are trained to align a solution with an acknowledged customer need and demonstrate why it is better. Sales essentials solution selling 6 weeks watch your customer communication and sales results improve from the get go with the implementation of these practices. The difference between product marketing and solution marketing. This positioning drives the basis of your competitive advantage and most crucially the paingain tradeoffs you need to understand.
A solution selling strategy also demonstrates why the chosen product is a better. Everyone sells solutions hoping they can charge a premium or perform some miracle that will instantly differentiate them from their competitors. Solution selling vs product selling retail development a. The sales and delivery model needed to change if the promise of a solution was to be delivered. The solution sales mindset linkedin learning, formerly. Moving from a problemfocused to solution focused mindset mel gill tedxvarna duration. The new solution selling expands the classic texts cases, examples, and situations and sharpens its focus on streamlining the sales process to achieve greater success in fewer steps and a shorter time frame. Today, i think a lot of the original distinction has been lost.
Tony hughes shares his thoughts on challenger sales vs solution selling. The breakthrough process used by more than 500,000 sales professionals worldwide. Nearly 10 years ago, the influential bestseller solution selling literally rewrote the rules for selling bigticket, longcycle products. While oldschool selling tells us to focus on the features and benefits of our products, solution selling tells us to focus on the value of our solution. Solution selling is the most comprehensive sales and sales management process available today. Aug 25, 2015 bear in mind that whether you think you are selling a product, service or solution, the customer is in effect buying the same thing. Neil rackham popularized the spin sell in his book, spin selling. Insight selling is the new solution selling forbes. Solution selling is the best methodology ive seen for placing emphasis on business issues rather than product. A product is what the users ask for, and a solution is what they actually. Solution selling has a salesperson or sales team use a sales process that is a problemled rather than productled approach to determine if and how a change in a product could bring specific improvements that are desired by the customer.
Whether it be a person or a company, you dont buy the bottle of vitamin water because you like the colour. A solution selling process differs from a more traditional sales process because, instead of just pushing a product, the seller focuses on a specific issue or problem the customer faces and suggests corresponding services or products to solve that issue. The intent of solution selling for sales execution is to help salespeople identify a prospective buyers business problem within an opportunity and lead the buyer to selfconclusion of how they can solve the problem utilizing the salespersons capabilities and the value of doing so thus leading to a solution. Slide 1 the introduction learning the new language of solutions selling. Solution selling is a type and style of sales and selling methodology. What is the difference between a product and a solution in the it industry, particularly the software industry. Today it is almost impossible to meet a product salesperson in the businesstobusiness sector. It enables sellers to make the way they sell as big an advantage as their product or service.
Get heaping discounts to books you love delivered straight to your inbox. Value selling is a sales technique that leverages customer anticipation of enjoying the benefits of the item for a sale. The lumber industry sells what used to be waste sawdust, chips, and shredded wood for a pretty profit. Solution selling has a salesperson or sales team use a sales process that is a problemled rather than productled. Solution selling refers to the philosophy or practice of uncovering a customers pain points and then providing products and services that address the underlying business problem. Selling the solution, not the product linkedin slideshare. This course defines product and solution selling and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each type of selling. Product versus solution selling partners in excellence. A process by which the salesperson uncovers and clarifies a customers problem, works with the customer to create a vision of how things could be better and then develops a plan for implementing the vision. The new solution selling expands the the longawaited sequel to solution selling, one of historys most popular selling guides nearly 10 years ago, the influential bestseller solution selling literally rewrote the rules for selling bigticket, longcycle products.
1238 1306 823 26 1128 1051 1105 322 768 1144 980 1485 349 1614 852 894 1272 1608 315 1284 477 1300 1452 720 614 1132 619 819 312 1197 134 215 1015 605