An adaptive sales approach to solving problems can help convert new customers.
Early in my publishing career, one of my mentors waited patiently as I explained why an unexpected problem would cause our team to miss an editorial deadline. After I laid out the details of the problem, I waited for his reaction. His measured response influenced the way I helped my clients overcome challenges for many years to come: “Don’t come to me with a problem; always come to me with a solution to the problem.”
Customers don't need you the way they used to
“Customers are just a few mouse clicks away from finding immediate solutions and overcoming challenges on their own.”
That time-tested approach to problem solving reminds me of the “solution selling” methodology popularized by sales reps during the 1980s. In the days before the Internet, companies relied on their sales team to inform customers of solutions to their needs, then try to sell a product or service that satisfied those needs. It was an effective sales pitch: You have a problem, we have the solution. But today, with universal access to the Internet, customers are just a few mouse clicks away from finding immediate solutions and overcoming challenges on their own.
The end of solution selling?
Many sales influencers believe that solution selling has become a relic in the digital age. Simple, transactional sales are now mostly handled over e-commerce, explains BTS Sales Practice Analyst Andrew Dornon in his article: The end of solution selling. “Customers with well-understood problems do research online and find solutions on their own, only turning to sales reps who do high volume, high velocity transactional sales over email and phone when they are ready to complete the transaction.”
It's time to adapt
“Adapt or customize the selling style based on the behavior of the customer.”
I contend that solution selling hasn’t lost all relevance. There’s hope in a new, and improved methodology in which salespeople rely on adaptive selling to solve the needs and problem of the customer. Adaptive selling is a strategy that requires the sales representative to adapt or customize the selling style based on the behavior of the customer.
Adaptive sales reps may still find a need for selling solutions—but with a more updated approach. Digitally-connected customers expect to interact and communicate with sales in a variety of different ways (social media, Chatbots, email marketing, etc.). To meet these expectations, sales reps will need to embrace an omnichannel approach and be prepared to engage with customers on multiple fronts in order to secure that customer’s business.
For more information, please check out these resources:
What is adaptive selling and how can it save the sales industry (Karen McCandless, GetApp Lab)
Solution Selling: The Ultimate Guide (HubSpot article by Aja Frost) https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/solution-selling
How to Automate Your Sales with a Chatbot
Email Marketing Made Simple: A Step by Step Guide (UPDATED) (from Optinmonster)