Solution selling is about digging around in the problems/challenges of your customers – from their perspective.
Some people are saying, “You can’t sell print anymore, you have to sell solutions” others are saying “you can’t be just a printer anymore; you have to be a marketing services provider.” Words are cheap – what does this mean?
My approach has always been, first ask a lot more questions – until a) you understand or b) you understand that the person saying you have to sell solutions has no clue what that means ;-) Walk away gracefully.
I’ve blogged in the past about the “marketing service provider” idea, I’ll keep this post to the idea of “selling solutions.” Next time someone says that in a webinar, writes that in an article, or says it at a live event – ask the question, “How do you define the word solution?” My dad used to say, the first step to common understanding is defining the terms, it makes everyone aware that they actually have to back up their ideas with real understanding.
Here’s one definition of a solution – a potential answer to a customer’s challenge or problem. This leads right into the next term to define – “problem/challenge.” I love this line of thinking because in order for you to effectively sell solutions – guess what you have to do? You have to understand your customer and what problem your customer is trying to solve. Do you see how this leads you away from pixels, resolution, paper stocks and into the realm of communication for various purposes: promotion, compliance, education, etc… What problems are your customer’s experiencing that print and print related communication services might solve?
Solution selling is about understanding what your customers or prospects are trying to accomplish. A solution sale is more about asking questions and listening with a lot LESS talking about you, your business, or the printing process.
What about technology and the solution sale? Today time is the most precious resource – for everyone. It’s no longer enough to provide an excellent product, at a competitive price, with great service – you have to do all that AND make it brilliantly easy for the customer to interact with your business. Do you provide an excellent product, at a competitive price, but your lack of an online procurement system makes it impossible for your customers to see their spending history without multiple interactions with your part-time accounting department?
Technology enables you to add value around your core product; I’m not talking about miscellaneous features like QR codes. I’m talking about the core values of ecommerce:
- Self Service and On Demand
- Structured approach to procurement (budget control, spending limits, etc…)
- Access to Transactional Data (transactional history, reports, etc…)
None of these things have ANYTHING to do with print. It’s not about print – it’s about easing procurement. I’ve said this many times before “web to print” needs to be renamed “print ecommerce” with about 80% of the focus on ecommerce. Please don’t tell me “my customers are happy with our high touch service” they don’t want to do ecommerce, they like transferring files over FTP, sending multiple e-mails, and making several phone calls about each order.
You might be right, the individuals fulfilling those tasks today might be fine with the process, you know that it’s extremely inefficient and that it can be you who offers a better way. Alternatively, you can sit back and wait for a competitor to introduce a technology enabled procurement process that delivers the same quality, at a competitive price, while consuming half of the customer’s time.
Solution selling is about looking beyond your core product and your perspective – it’s about putting yourself in the shoes of your customers and figuring out solutions by digging into THEIR problems. You have the knowledge of what can be done with print and print related communications – you need to put forth the effort to learn their business in order to be in a position to extend your service offering to solve their problems.
Love it. Good stuff. Look up Hopkins Printing, this is exactly what we are striving to be for our customers. I hate reading about “solutions” as a generic theme. Sales is actually pretty easy… ask questions and listen. Typically customers will tell you what solutions they need you just have to hear it and be open minded to respond to it. Unfortunately printing a clean dot fast is not a solution anymore its a standard request… Those who are willing to out of their way to help their customers do their job better will get the lion share of business. Jennifer, thanks for a great article…
Michael – thanks for the feedback. My favorite acronym for sales training: W.A.I.T – why am I talking? The best sales people in the world draw customers out so that they are learning 80% of the time and talking 20% of the time. Customers will reveal their real challenges if they feel they have an audience that is listening.
Well, Yeah. Same as it always was. With 40 years in the industry, I can’t think of a single successful printer (or sales pro in any field) who’s not been doing this forever. MSP is NOT a new concept, it’s just (already seriously stale) “spin.” Leading companies are always evaluating, recommending and adding new technologies/ideas/methodologies WHEN there’s mutual benefit. MSP, despite the hype, is nothing more than CS (common sense).
Today’s “mindless expert” advice: “change your company name…and re-brand yourself as having common sense” :>) Now watch some fool try to service mark or copyright “Common Sense”
Hugh – I got a chuckle out of this. Its interesting how “concepts” and terms evolve in the industry speak. Where did “web to print” or “maketing service provider” come from and why have they stuck? I think every single business book in the world has the same message, treat your people well and you’ll succeed, this message has been written 1 million different ways and will be written 1 million more in my lifetime.
One thing about technology, it seems to blind people’s common sense. I see very smart business people stop using their heads and actually buy into the hype with technology. They start believing the “if you buy it they will come” pitch and the idea that technology is strategy and execution. Something about the mystic of technology and people’s fear of their underlying knowledge about it that causes a lot of wasted investment of time and money. Technology is cool but its simple another tool, not anywhere close to as important as your people and your strategy.
You made two points that I want to highlight (there were more but I’ll leave those to others).
First, your constant reiteration that web to print is ecommerce … is well said and very accurate. In most cases, print customers use it in a similar manner as they would any other ecommerce provider regardless of the product. The sooner the printer realizes this, the better. Only then can they see how they can turn into a true ‘solution provider.’
And second. You described QR codes for what they really are – a feature. I would go so far to say they are a feature in search of an application, an application that fulfills a real need. It will be interesting to see if they have or will ever find that real need and move past being just a novelty.
Clay – its hard to believe that I have to keep reminding people that web to print is ecommerce. Doesn’t that seem silly? The term I like to mention even more now is SELF SERVICE. The approach of high touch customer care is the past, customers want convenience more than anything, especially for repeat, simple work. If you offer high touch for everything, assume your customers will wander off to an online vendor for the easy stuff.
As far as QR codes go, I don’t know what to say – so many people running around pointing at this feature as the savior. In my opinion, you’re asking people to do a couple steps (have a smart phone, download a reader, click on the camera, take the picture, and then poof you get directed to a website? – big deal) – it has to have more value than that because that is WAY TOO MUCH OVERHEAD for me and I don’t think I’m alone. I did see a great one in an airport yesterday – QR codes – download free ebooks (good ones), had I not been late for my flight I would have done that one.