Solution Selling is Not the Same as Selling Solutions (requires 45 seconds to read)

More and more these days Four Sales Trends that Affect Sales Hiring we are hearing that companies ask for solution sales and it is obvious there is a ton of confusion.

According to wikipedia.

Solution selling is a sales methodology. Rather than just promoting an existing product, the salesperson focuses on the customer’s pain(s) and addresses the issue with his or her offerings (product and services). The resolution of the pain is what constitutes a true “solution”.

This is a sales approach which is different from an offering which is customized for each customer or an offering which is called a solution (so many companies use the word solution these days to describe their offering that the word is losing its meaning).

Why does this matter? Because not all sales people are the same and you want to employ the type of sales people that are right for your company and who will sell on your team.

Let me demonstrate the problem with hiring the wrong type by way of an example. Say your company’s customers buy a certain product because it relieves acute pain experienced by the customers. You want to hire a sales person and you spread the word that you are looking for solution sales people. You hire someone who has sold professional services solutions….here’s the rub. That sales person will be accustomed to finding a way to serve every prospect by offering them with a customized solution. That sales person will drive you nuts with requests for product changes and variations that he or she says are necessary to sell the product. What you need is a person who focuses only on the ideal prospects, understands engage a prospect so they admit their pain, and helps hem associate relief with your offering.

A subtle, but very important difference.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in these similar posts:

1. Hire Sales Performers Using Your Selling Environment as a Guide (Requires 35 seconds to read)
2. Solution Selling
3. Top 3 Reasons to Have Structure in Your Sales Hiring Process (Requires 60 seconds to read)
4. How to Hire the Right Sales Leader (Requires 60 seconds to read)
5. Three Reasons to Hire Sales DNA (Requires 40 seconds to read)