Why your solution has no inherent value...

I once heard one of my colleagues say, “Consultants or sellers deal in foregone solutions.” Meaning they think everyone needs what we have, and that our solution can be universally applied to a multitude of problems.

Enlightened Sellers understand that solutions have no inherent value. Let me say it louder…

Solutions have no inherent value!

Let’s look at this in two ways. Firstly ‘the solution’ and then what we mean by ‘value’.

A number of my clients spend millions on developing solutions. Often, solution or product ‘owners’ show up in my training sessions and workshops and I watch them wince when I say that solutions have no inherent value. What I am trying to convey with this proclamation is that Enlightened Sellers realise that solutions derive value (and let’s not forget that value is in the eye of the beholder) only from the problems they solve or the business outcomes they provide.

Traditional sellers often say something like, “The solution to the problem is…”

Just think about this phrase for a few minutes and think about all of the assumptions that this simple phrase could contain. Here are a few for starters:

• There is a problem
• There is only one problem
• We have a solution
• There is only one solution
• People care enough about the problem to want a solution
• We can measure the extent or cost of the problem
• The cost of the solution is materially less than the cost of the problem

…and so on.

Take 2-3 minutes and you’ll easily create a list of 20 assumptions relating to that one simple phrase.

Enlightened Sellers understand the need to demonstrate good critical thinking skills, therefore they don’t talk about a solution without thoroughly investigating some of the underlying assumptions. They know that when you start talking about a solution before understanding what it is supposed to solve, you undermine your own credibility, decrease confidence and reduce the potential to propose a solution that meets the prospect’s or client’s needs.

Enlightened Sellers have the ability to stay ‘off the solution’ until they have sufficiently explored the problems to be solved and/or the results or business outcomes the client desires. They organise their dialogue with carefully thought through questions aimed at getting real and meaningful answers to critical assumptions, and they do it in a way that creates confidence and is efficient and conversational. They employ proven techniques to mature the dialogue to a point where they understand what the client values, which brings me to the real point about value.

I coach dozens of client teams each year on sales opportunities, and I am often faced with the situation where they have had some good meetings with the client (in their minds) and yet the client “didn’t get back to them”, “didn’t respond to an email” or “didn’t take their calls”. Sound familiar? The deal is seemingly ‘stuck’, and the buyer has ‘gone dark’.

Here’s the reality… The reason the deal is stuck, or the buyer has gone dark is that there was no compelling reason for them to do anything further. The coaching question becomes, “What would they have to believe in order to progress further?” and the answer is that they’d have to see value… whatever that means to them.

In summary, solutions must solve something. Enlightened Sellers understand that value is only derived when a problem that the prospect or client cares about is solved, or when a highly valued (by the client) business outcome is realised.

If you have been struggling with a sales challenge for more than 30 days, should we be talking? Click this link to hear from people like you who are working with me.