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As a sales team manager or salesperson, you are constantly concerned about improving your sales performance and increasing your bottom line. However, when you approach sales from an “I have a product for you” perspective, you miss the opportunity to solve your customer’s pain.
Rock stars don’t sell albums, they don’t sell concert tickets, they don’t even sell music. Rock stars sell emotions. They sell an escape from the grind of everyday life. People need a break from their daily lives and their responsibilities. Music allows them to forget about their problems, even if just for a few minutes.
So what are you actually selling? And how do you make the most out of a solution-focused sales strategy?
What problems do you solve?
Let’s use cars as an example. Almost everyone has had to purchase a car at some point in their life. Have you ever walked into a dealership and been offered a large hunk of steel? No. Car salespeople know that drivers have pains that they can cure. Such as:
No one likes to take the bus because it takes a long time and doesn’t work with your individual schedule. They provide convenience and the ability to travel whenever and wherever you’d like.
People are concerned with the wellbeing of their loved ones and themselves. They sell peace of mind and safety in the case of an accident.
Some people see their car as an extension of their personal brand. They sell social status.
What problems do you solve?
In order to answer this question, you must first talk to your clients to determine what problems they have. Once you understand the pain points they experience, you can offer the solution.
3 Tips for making the most out of your solution-focused sales
1) Listen to your customers: You can’t solve a problem you don’t understand. Take the time to speak with your prospects about the issues they are facing and most importantly… listen! Take notes of how they explain their struggles and what they are hoping for in terms of a resolution.
Marvelless Mark® suggests that in order to cultivate loyal fans or customers you need to develop an in-depth knowledge of your fans, first as a demographic, and then as people.
2) Use your marketing materials and communication opportunities to show that you understand their pain points. Whether you are writing an email, creating copy for a brochure, or sitting across the table from a potential client, show them you understand and sympathize with their challenges by using their own language. When done properly, potential customers will think “They really understand my problems and I think they can resolve them.”
3) Highlight how you are different from other solutions. No matter what pain points you solve, there are probably other companies and other products out there that claim to do the same thing. If your client’s issue is thirst, you could offer them water, however, there are sports drinks, colas, juices, flavored waters, etc. that could potentially all do the same thing. What makes you different? What makes you better? Understanding your unique value proposition or unique selling proposition will go a long way to overcoming objections and differentiating yourself from the pack.
“You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.” – Jerry Garcia
Solution-focused sales will help you identify your customer’s pain points and then provide them with a product or service that eliminates (or at the very least minimizes) their problems. If you truly want to be a rock star in sales, you must sell solutions, not products.
Mark Kamp® aka Marvelless Mark® works with organizations who want their teams to achieve immediate rock star results. A Keynote Speaker/Entertainer/Author, Husband, Father, and child of God, his primary message, “Opportunity Rocks®” gives attendees a fresh new perspective on Sales, Marketing, and Employee Performance. Fun and engaging, Mark combines the success secrets of your favorite rock stars with just the right amount of entertainment to transform your employees into business rockstars. Learn more at www.OpportunityRocks.net.