(Time to read this article is about 1 minute)
Sales Courses, Sales Managers and books on selling all tell us, “Don’t sell products and services…sell solutions.” Good advice…but, often, it doesn’t go far enough.
We need to go beyond solution selling and coach customers on the ‘unseen possibilities’ available only with our caring and expert help. That’s the highest level of value delivery…and it’s where customer ‘ownership’ really takes place.
If I have a problem or an opportunity, and I know it, I can approach several solution providers and award the business to the lowest bidder. But, if I’m not even aware of my problem or opportunity, and you show me ‘what’s possible’, you’re my hero, and I’m much less likely to let you out of my life.
When you lead me into the land of ‘what’s possible’, you leave your competitors behind and help me leave my competitors behind. You take me from playing ‘catch-up’ to playing ‘leapfrog’ over my competitors…and I love you for that.
To get to this highest level of trust and freedom with your customers, if you’re selling B 2 B, for example, the conversation might go something like this: “Did you know that with our new combined billing and customer info software, you can track customer purchases and proactively communicate special offers and reorder points to customers as individuals, at very little cost? Companies that we’ve just tested this with have increased sales by up to 17%, in just three months.”
If I didn’t even know that such a thing is possible, you’re my new best friend.
Whatever product or service you sell, what are the ‘unseen possibilities’ that your customers and prospects are not aware of? What is it that they don’t know, that they need to know to make better decisions for their business or their life? What would it take for you to become the ‘possibilities leader’ in your market?
