Each week, I bring you battle tests, sales plays, and learning lessons from my experience as a Founder, VP of Sales, and my current role as the VP of Sales at Leadium where we help world-class B2B sales teams drive revenue through our done-for your top-of-funnel services.

Solution selling in enterprise sales is a technique that considers a customer's pain point. Then, you recommend a product that solves that problem. You'll focus on how your offering can benefit a business rather than just promoting product features.

Solution selling is an art that requires lots of practice because it differs from traditional sales processes. Instead of selling products, you're selling a solution far less tangible than a physical item. Even if you are a sales leader, these skills must be practiced to master the art.

I will give you five areas to master to master solution selling into the enterprise.

1. Understand an Enterprise's Pain Point

Solution selling is all about identifying a problem your enterprise faces. That requires lots of research. It would be best to get to know your customers and determine their daily issues. Then, it would be best if you asked them questions about the roadblocks they experience. Knowing what it’s like to be in their shoes would be best.

The most successful solution sellers don't hard sell. They sit back, consider all the information before them, and then recommend a product that benefits a business. Then, they align solutions accordingly based on their client's bespoke requirements.

Here's an example. Say an enterprise cannot track customer interactions and nurture relationships with prospects. As a successful solution seller, you will learn more about this pain point and, eventually, suggest a product tailored to the enterprise that supports its unique business needs. That might be a customer relationship management (CRM) system that helps them connect with prospects.

2. Provide a Value Proposition

An enterprise should understand how your product recommendation fulfills its objectives. You can communicate the benefits of your suggestion with a compelling value proposition. Your proposition should:

• Explain how your product solves the company's pain point

• Outline how that offering provides more value than other products on the market

• Demonstrate why the company should do business with you over your competitors

Creating a value proposition is one of the most challenging parts of solution selling. However, many techniques can help you achieve this goal. The Value Proposition Canvas, for example, is a framework developed by Dr. Alexander Osterwalder that lets you position a product around a customer's pain point. You can also use tools that visualize your value proposition, allowing you to convey your message through charts, infographics, and other visual elements.

3. Use Case Studies

Convincing an enterprise that you have the right solution for its needs is challenging. That's why you should establish your credibility and experience as a solution seller with case studies and testimonials.

For example, you can demonstrate to a client how you solved another company's problems in a research report. Your report might include information about how you came up with a resolution that solved the business' pain point and how you provided long-lasting results. Ensure you convey facts and figures verifying your success as a solution seller. For example, if you helped a previous client increase sales by 10%, tell your new customer about it.

You should also include testimonials from your previous customers on your website. That can prove your expertise to new clients looking for a solution seller like you.

4. Create Customized Solutions

No resolution will benefit every company, so you should develop customized solutions for each client you work with. Your internal teams can help you do this. For example, sales reps can get to know a customer better, learn about their challenges, and share this information with enterprise sales specialists with knowledge of different products on the market that might fulfill your customer's needs. You might also want to work with:

• Content creators who can write case studies and reports that outline your value proposition

• Customer service reps who can communicate with your client throughout the solution-selling process

• A project manager who supervises this process and makes sure you deliver your solution on time

5. Provide Support During Implementation

Once an enterprise agrees to your product suggestion, you should implement it successfully. That includes providing guidance and training during implementation so your client knows how to use different product features and can receive ongoing value from your offering.

Communication is critical here. You'll want to regularly follow up with your customer to see whether your product has solved their pain points. If not, you might need to modify your offering or provide an alternative product that better suits their requirements.

Takeaways

Solution selling is more than promoting product features. It identifies a pain point an enterprise has and attempts to solve it. You can master the art of this enterprise sales technique by understanding your client's problems, creating a value proposition, using case studies, developing customized solutions with your teams, and providing support during the implementation phase.

See you again next week!
-Collin Mitchell