Selling Solutions, Not Features
How to Position Your Product as the Answer to Customer Problems
Here’s a structured outline for your next post:
Title:
“Selling Solutions, Not Features”
Subtitle:
“How to Position Your Product as the Answer to Customer Problems”
Pitch:
Technical founders often fall into the trap of showcasing product features rather than highlighting how their product can solve a customer’s problem. Today we will talk about how to change those sales narrative to focus on the solution your product provides, making it easier for customers, especially non-technical ones, to understand the real value and benefits. When you sell solutions, you’re directly addressing a problem in the market place, which will increase your chances of closing deals and building long-term relationships.
We’ve all got Problems We Need a Solution
Problems are something that we all face in our day to day business. They are reason that you focused on the product or service that you are bring to market today. For some reason technical founders tend to forget that when they bring their solution to market. They focus on all the bells and whistles that they created and why those are so great. Which on one hand makes sense because you spent a lot of time and effort creating them. However, remember the mission you set out on was to bring a solution to the market. So focus on evangelizing the problem that you are solving. Focus on the problem and then show the world your solution. For those companies that adopt a solution-selling approach they experience a 24% increase in sales success compared to those focused on features (RAIN Group, “Top-Performing Sales Practices: The Secrets to Solution Selling”). That is because they focus on the problem in the world and then build a solution that solves customers pain points. So remember they problems you are solving in the world and the solution that you bring.
Solving a Customers Problem Pays…and Pays Well
When you focus on the problem and bringing a solution they customer feel heard. Customers that feel heard will take more sales calls with you and spend more time sharing problems with you. This opens the door for you to bring solution to them. Being able to bring more solutions as well as bringing the right solutions leads to increases in your revenue. It may seem basic and straightforward reading it here, but if you hear your customers and solve their problems they will pay you for that and pay you very well. Keep in mind, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience, and solution-based selling contributes directly to the experience by addressing specific customer pain points rather than overwhelming them with technical jargon (Source: PWC, “Future of Customer Experience”). This is why you have to evangelize the problem. You want to meet your customers where they are today and let them know you feel their pain. That way you can build trust and grow with them. Focus on the problem, listen to your customers, and bring a solid solution to market and you will continue to grow and make good money.
Don’t Waste Anyone’s Time
A sale pitch is something we all dread hearing. I know I try not to make eye contact with the sales folks at Costco to avoid having to talk to them. So if we do not want a sales pitch how do we have solutions to the problems we want to solve? We first google it, or maybe today you reach out to ChatGPT or Perplexity. Then we start to look for solutions. We don’t want to waste our time with a bunch of sales pitches that may or may not solve our problem. Again, this is why you need to be an evangelist for the problem you are solving. Create some great copyrighting that clearly defines the problems. Then when you do get a meeting with the customer restate the problem quickly. Pause to ensure you have the right audience for this problem. Then focus on the solution that you bring. Buyers who view solution-based presentations are 2.2 times more likely to describe the sales process as valuable compared to feature-focused presentations (Source: CSO Insights, “The Buyer-Seller Disconnect”). The problem is how you get in the door, your solution is how you get paid. The problem is we often focus on the solution and do not spend enough time on the problem statement to make sure we are getting into the right meetings and not wasting anyone’s time.
Action Step
Review your next 3 sales pitches. Are you solving a problem for your customers and providing a solution? If not revise your pitches today to focus on a problem statement and a solution you can bring to the customer.
Additional Reading:
Solution Selling: How to Solve Customer Problems and Close More Sales - RAIN Group
Why Solution-Based Selling is the Future of B2B Sales
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation - Gartner