Interesting article and ensuing discussion here, about whether or not "solution selling" is effective.
As is often the case, the problem is in the definition of "solution selling" - and the moral of the story is that YOU CAN'T SOLVE CUSTOMERS' PROBLEMS - ONLY THE REASONS WHY THEY OCCUR.
Certainly it's important to get a prospect's perspective on why they THINK the problem is occurring - but it's our job as sales professionals to CORRECTLY DIAGNOSE the reasons for the problem.
Sometimes we won't be able to solve the reasons the problem is occurring - in which case we just move on (or - ideally - refer the prospect to someone that CAN solve the problem).
For example - let's say we're selling for an organisation that provides sales training. Our prospect says they have a problem - they're a sales manager, and they keep missing their target.
Sounds like there's a chance that we MIGHT be able to solve the problem - but on further questioning it turns out that, due to the fact that the prospect's products are uncompetitive, the sales people they hire keep resigning.
As we're not in the "how to make your products more competitive" consulting business - or indeed the recruiting business - we can't solve the REASON for the problem - and hence the problem itself.
So how can we turn Geoffrey James' article into a good news story? How can we turn it into a sales opportunity?
Let's say we have a prospect that has tried a number of times to solve a particular problem - and each time they've been unsuccessful. Perhaps we can SELL a process to IDENTIFY THE REAL REASON WHY THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING!
For example - in the IT world - a prospect's network keeps crashing. They've tried many times to fix this problem - but they keep failing. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity to sell some sort of all encompassing network analysis/audit process, aimed at identifying the REAL REASON why the problem is occurring.
In this way - WE'RE USING THE FACT THAT THE PROSPECT HAS PREVIOUSLY FAILED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM TO OUR ADVANTAGE and - in true solution selling style - we're selling to make their life better.
Given their previous failures, they'll actually be more willing to pay for this diagnostic - and, because we get the chance to get inside their organisation, build relationships, and prove our value - we actually GET A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF SELLING THEM THE SOLUTION WE WENT IN TO SELL THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
How often have you successfully sold to a prospect that's unsuccessfully tried to fix a problem?
