Is solution selling becoming obsolete?
Foundations of solution selling
Definition and origin
Solution selling is one of the different existing approaches to sales. One of the schools of thoughts, if you will. The focus of solution selling is to understand the specific needs and challenges (commonly referred to as pain points) of potential customers in order to tailor a solution that directly addresses those needs.
It emerged back in the 1980s when sales professionals began to realize that traditional sales techniques, which up until then, primarily focused on selling a product or service based on its features and benefits, were beginning to lose effectiveness. Customers were increasingly looking for more than just a product; they wanted their problems solved. Hence the name.
The solution selling approach emphasizes a consultative sales process rather than a transactional one. What does it mean? Well it means that sales reps are expected to engage in deep conversations with clients, probing to uncover underlying issues and needs that the client may not even be fully aware of themselves. Instead of pushing a ‘wonder’ pre-made and generic product or service, like your typical 1950s household appliance pitch.
This process involves active listening, asking insightful questions, and developing a customized solution that demonstrates clear value to the customer, but we’ll come back to this.
Key principles
There are two core tenets to the solution selling philosophy:
- Identification of needs: Instead of leading with a product pitch, solution selling starts with understanding the customer’s pain points and challenges. This takes some measure of empathy, emotional intelligence, as well as a keen ability to listen actively to what the customer is telling you – or not telling you.
- Customization of solutions: Once the needs are identified, as a sales reps, it falls to you to craft a solution that caters to the customer’s specific needs and circumstances. To achieve this, you may have to integrate various products or services into a comprehensive package that addresses as many aspects of the customer’s business challenges as possible.
Here, your end game is not just selling a product. You want to build a long-term relationship with the customer, a relationship based on trust and mutual benefit. When you show them you understand their business and you deliver solutions that directly address their issues, you appear as a trustworthy advisor rather than a regular vendor.
Solution selling & its latest competitors
In the past few years, a lot has been going on in the landscape of sales : quick and numerous technological breakthroughs and total paradigm shifts in buyer behavior. More specifically, several challengers have arisen in the form of alternative sales approaches to contend with the now traditional solution selling approach. Let’s explore some of these newcomers and let’s see how they compare to solution selling:
1. Consultative selling process
We’ve already seen that solution selling has a consultative dimension as well. As a result, it will be a surprise to no one that it shares similarities with consultative selling.
The difference lies in that consultative selling places even greater emphasis on the advisory role of the salesperson. It involves deep research into the client’s business before any sales conversation takes place. The sales professional acts as a consultant, providing expert advice and insights throughout the sales process.
This approach is highly effective in industries where the sales cycle is long and complex, because consultative selling requires a high degree of trust and expertise from the sales rep. The downside of that, for consultative selling, is that it has more difficulties to adjust to simpler and more straightforward sales scenarios. In those, solution selling tends to shine brighter.
2. Social selling approach
Social selling leverages social media platforms and online networks to interact directly with potential customers. It’s all about:
- building relationships ;
- sharing valuable content ;
- and engaging in conversations that ultimately lead to sales opportunities.
Social selling is particularly effective in industries where buyers are highly active on social media and prefer to engage with brands in a more informal and interactive manner.
Obviously, back when solution selling was invented, social media didn’t exist. However, it does share one particular goal which is building relationships. So, intentions are similar but the execution has very little in common :
- solution selling relies on live and face-to-face discussions, because there is a lot of body language and intonation analysis to do to identify non-verbal cues ;
- while video chats are definitely a thing, social selling heavily focuses on written speech and asynchronous communication (DMs are not necessarily read and answered on the spot).
However, integrating a touch of social selling to solution selling does not seem unreasonable. In fact, it appears more than necessary in a world where social media constitute the bulk of our daily interactions. If you choose to go this route, note that sharing valuable content and engaging in meaningful conversations do take time, if you want to do it right. So be careful not to overdo it if you want to still have some time for solution selling.
3. Inbound marketing
Inbound marketing focuses on creating valuable content that attracts potential customers to the company’s website or social media channels. As a matter of fact, it works very well when paired with social selling.
The ultimate goal of inbound marketing is to generate leads organically, to avoid having to resort to ads. How ? By providing useful information and addressing common pain points through:
- blog articles ;
- video content, be it short format like on TikTok or the standard 8 to 10 minutes YouTube explicative exposé ;
- infographics & charts ;
- case studies ;
- webinars / live streams / podcasts ;
- e-mail contents ;
- LinkedIn long posts ;
- white papers ;
- newsletters ;
- data studies, etc.
All of this content, if delivered properly (don’t forget to ask contact info!), brings people who are sales-qualified. In other words, qualified leads. Sales teams then engage with these leads, leveraging the content-driven trust already established to convert inbound leads into inbound sales.
Yet again, between inbound marketing and solution selling, there is the common goal of building rapport, but apart from this, solution selling was not designed with the intention of creating content to build trust. Conversation with the lead was the only content. Nonetheless, on the Internet more than anywhere else, “content is king”, as Bill Gates put it. Solution selling might just be in need of an upgrade then.
Adapting to new market needs…
From all of what we just saw, it is blatantly obvious that while solution selling remains relevant in many industries mainly thanks to its flexibility and simplicity, it can no longer afford to stay its course. It needs to adapt or quickly fade into irrelevance, then oblivion.
Another fact to support this would be that modern buyers are often more informed and proactive in their purchasing decisions, thanks to readily available information on the internet (part of which comes from inbound marketing!). As a consequence, they expect sales professionals to be knowledgeable, responsive, and capable of providing insights beyond what can be found online. And understandably so, if sales reps can no longer provide them with added value, why should they listen to them to begin with?
…but how?
So, it would seem that solution selling is in dire straits. However, solution selling, just like punk, is not dead. Jokes aside, it has strengths that can still be quite useful in contemporary sales.
First, you should never forget that the most prominent advantages of solution selling lie in its ability to create customized solutions that directly address specific pain points. Customers want you to be knowledgeable and provide them with insights? Well that’s fortunate because it just happens to be right up in the production’s seller alley! Also remember to ask questions as well, you want to be serviceable but you also need their insights, if you want to be able to design the right solution.
Another benefit that comes with this approach fosters: stronger customer relationships lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty over time. However, solution selling can be time-intensive and may not always align with the fast-paced nature of certain industries or market segments. that’s what at times you might consider tuning it down or partially replace it with another approach.
Solution selling: is it looking up?
Evolution of solution selling
In reality, solution selling didn’t wait until today to change its ways. It’s a process that has been going on for decades now. Indeed, over the years, solution selling has incorporated elements of digital transformation and data-driven insights. Sales teams now have access to advanced analytics tools that provide deeper visibility into customer behaviors and preferences. This enables more targeted and effective sales strategies tailored to individual customer needs.
Moreover, the concept of creating buyers in difficult selling markets has become central to the evolution of solution selling. In challenging economic environments or highly competitive industries, sales professionals must not only identify existing needs but also anticipate future trends, challenges and opportunities for their clients.
New directions
Looking ahead, the future of solution selling will have a lot to do with its ability to integrate seamlessly with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. If used properly, these technologies can enhance the sales process by:
- automation ;
- predictive analysis ;
- better customer experience.
Furthermore, the role of sales reps in solution selling is likely to become more specialized and strategic. Rather than focusing solely on closing the deal, sales professionals will increasingly be expected to act as trusted advisors who can guide customers through complex buying decisions and provide ongoing support post-sale.
Moving forward with training
To remain relevant, solution selling must continue to evolve in response to changing buyer behaviors and market dynamics. This may involve a few online sales management training sessions, to:
- embrace digital tools and platforms that facilitate remote selling and virtual collaboration ;
- enhance skills in data analysis and interpretation to uncover actionable insights from customer interactions ;
- develop a more holistic understanding of customer journeys and touchpoints across multiple channels ;
- put in place an effective sales enablement strategy.
To sum it all up, solution selling is not outdated in its vision, as trying hard to understand your customer needs and desires is very much compatible with newer selling philosophies. Regarding form, however, solution selling as a series of customer meetings with one-to-one long conversations with many processes and steps, might not be the right fit anymore, except for specific industries. While retaining the core principles and focus of solution selling, you can and you should consider incorporating elements from other approaches as well as training to acquire new skills.
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