Solution & not Sales! That could be the solution to your Sales pain Point.

While we have been taught that sales is a process of selling the product that the company we are a part of. But I have observed that when we are selling a solution instead of the product, a better relationship is built and a greater opportunity for closure.

Let me explain this conundrum with a simple story:-

Once, a store manager gave a challenge to his three sales associates. What challenge, you may ask? The challenge was to sell Wooden Combs to Buddhist Monks. What sells combs to monks who have no hair? How that can be done is the question you all may be asking. The manager gave them a week and asked them to inform him of the development.

After a week passed, the three sales reps reported back:-

Sales Rep 1: "I was able to sell one comb to a monk who visited the store. He beamed. "

Manager: " Wow! nice. How were you able to do it?"

Sales Rep 1: " I just told the monk that though he may not have hair, he could use the comb to scratch if there was an Itch. The monk gladly accepted this Idea and bought a piece."

Suddenly the second sales rep chimed in, " I was able to sell 10 combs."

Manager: " Wow! even better, I am truly impressed. But what did you do to achieve such a feat?"

Sales Rep 2: " I just went to a monastery in the hills and told the head priest there that although the monks don't need combs, but the worshippers that are visiting would need one. Or would you rather have them worshipping in a disheveled look caused due to the wind? Hearing this, the head monk decided to buy 10 combs which they could clean and reuse.."

Manager: " Well, quite Interesting. What about you? Were you able to sell any comb?" He asked the third sales rep.

Sales Rep 3:" Well, I was able to sell around 1,000 combs this week and have a standing order for 10,000 more in the coming week."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes almost popped out; how is this possible? How can someone sell 1,000 combs to a monk and still have 10,000 more orders?

"I don't believe you; it's not possible." The first sales rep said.

Hearing this, the third sales rep replied, " I, too, went to a monastery nearby, but I stayed there for a little while. I observed the people visiting and the monks, after watching for a couple of hours. I went to the Head of the monastery and asked him would you be interested in customized wooden combs with blessings inscribed in them, you could give this to the visitors as a form of blessing, and everyone uses a comb daily, so they will be able to remember your monastery.

He initially ordered 1000 combs, but it has become so popular among the devotees that today he notified me that he would need 10,000 more."

Each of them was selling a solution rather than the product itself. So what did they do differently that brought about the change in numbers?

The first rep looked at the problem statement quite literally. He went about solving the problems that a monk would face. The second and third sales rep tried to build a solution for the monastery itself. But they formulated their solutions in a very different ways; while the Second sales rep looked at a problem and identified the solution, the third sales rep looked at building an experience.

But the most important thing to note here is that by engaging all three employees and having an open conversation, the Manager could build a Sales Playbook on how to best sell his product to monasteries. Now if he replicated what the third sales rep did with all his sales personal he would be able to drive dramatic growth for the business. Afterall building a knowledge base is critical for any form of growth hacking to work.

An experience is always a better solution when compared to a solution based on a problem statement. In consulting cases, you can deliver an experience through open communication, honest truths, and fact-based solutions.

If you know of something, request to tell me in the comments...

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