Solutions Selling
There are two steps to a solutions sale – discovering the need and delivering a solution. The first requires good questions and the goal is to understand. The latter is focused on communicating and connecting your solution to the problem you understood. Where there is no trust, there is no sale.
High Trust Interview
This is an interview focused on one goal with the decision maker: Understanding the need. If you can confidently walk away from the meeting understanding the need and all the issues, then this is successful. Good questions are required to discover the need:
- What’s important to you about the consistency of your code?
- What’s important to you about the partners you do business with?
- If you could change how your programmers’ code works today, what would it look like?
- What are your current coding standards?
- What frustrations do you deal with outside source code and internal source code? Do subsequent developers find it challenging to understand it?
Some questions for you:
- Do you want to do business with them?
- Do you really understand their pain and problem?
- Is there a fit between your solution and their problem?
- Is your solution more than just your product(s)?
You may be asked about your product. You are not there to talk features. You want to talk at a high level. Tell them you have a lot of solutions to offer, but your goal is to truly understand their need and you would like to make sure you have a full understanding and set up a second meeting with what you heard in writing.
“I really appreciate you sharing your challenges with me. I want to ensure I have captured what I heard. Would you mind if I brought something to you in writing and we meet next week at __________?”
High Trust Solution
You will want to have prepared a proposal speaking to their needs and what is important to them with your solution – product, services, relationship, along with quantity, etc. – and how you are a fit. This shows your care and understanding for their needs and builds the trust to become partners.
Document what you have heard and how you will meet their needs. Review this in detail then say, “Based on what I see, I believe there is a basis to move forward. Would you like to do this?”
Comments
Leave a Reply