John Hayes is Director of Sales for Balyo USA and a widely-respected thought leader regarding automation in the materials-handling industry.
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Lori Greiner is a former Shark Tank panelist now known as the "Queen of QVC" for her show Clever And Unique Creations. In nearly every episode, she talks about products that solve a problem.
This simple paradigm is on the rise in the B2B industrial marketplace, redefining value propositions and company messaging. Some of the catalysts for this change occurred since Covid-19 started more than two years ago.
Limitations Of The Spec Sheet
The old model for sales business development was a "spec sheet"—a one-page document that spelled out a product's features, advantages and benefits of a product. This was meant to distill the differentiators from competitors and any other data: measurements, lifting capacity, height constraints and more.
Sure, by the time a purchase order is issued, specifications would also need to be considered and discussed with the customer. But this meant that if a product will not work in a very narrow aisle operation or if the mezzanine height exceeds equipment capacity, then it might be determined unsuitable, and the deal might fall through.
Switching From Product-Selling To Solution-Selling
Long before the purchase order, customers are already experiencing some kind of pain point the status quo simply cannot address. It is the job of sales to ask the right questions and listen to the prospect. Then—and only then—should a solution be offered.
Think of it as a medical exam. Upon initial examination, great salespeople are able to identify the problem and sell a solution. This is solution selling, not product selling.
It would be idiotic for a doctor to tell someone to buy a knee brace simply because their knee hurt. By digging deeper, you can make a root cause analysis, not a cosmetic solution merely applying a band-aid—and ignoring what could well be a serious business problem.
Solution-selling is borne from inquiry. Probably the best directive you can give buyers in solution selling is, "Help me understand what's broken or not working optimally." Those in the manufacturing and industrial sectors are familiar with this process due to the leanness of manufacturing principles and practices which look to eliminate waste and require continuous, ongoing process improvement.
The Impact Of The Pandemic On Sales Communications
Even with other skill sets such as Lean Six Sigma, there has been inherent laziness arising from selling approaches since the onset of Covid-19. Emails are frequently deleted, DMs left unanswered, LinkedIn requests ignored and voicemails rarely heard.
It may be easier to eliminate all these communication approaches. The younger the potential customer, the more likely they are to ghost salespeople—to simply vanish even after expressing initial interest. It's a common social phenomenon among Gen-Z as well as some millennials.
The solution is to use extensive content creation and heavy cross-promotional PR that allows and creates SEO optimization by identifying problem/solution challenges rather than products. Search for a product such as an AGV robot, and Google returns eight million-plus results. Search for AGV robots for VNA (very narrow aisle), and the results are fewer than 100. Selling starts with being short-listed as a contender in a job bid, RFQ or open-end spec request.
Communication And Solution Identification Are The Way Forward
Sadly, too often, companies think one article or one press release will do the trick. Nonsense. It is all about velocity, consistency and constancy. Working in a six-month messaging cycle using the solution-selling strategies outlined above can allow even the smallest company to become perceived as an industry leader.
Senior-level sales & biz dev executives from Forbes Business Development Council share firsthand insights.
