Want to Sell More? Start by Solving Problems

Looking for ways to sell more? You’ve come to the right place!

Many senior executives in sales and marketing don’t know who their buyers are, and don’t know how to position a selling conversation. They often think of the transaction as a “cost” rather than an “investment.”

So, let’s explore this and discover how to sell more.

Sell More by Understanding Who Your Buyers Are

To better understand your buyers, start by considering their “buyer persona”. A buyer persona is a way to categorize and organize your buyers. Think of a buyer persona as a representation of the person or group of people most likely to be interested in your product.

Using a buyer persona template will allow your sales and marketing teams to be more effective by understanding more about your buyers.

It will also help your organization to learn more about different types of buyers. Each type has a different personality. The more specific your team gets, the more marketing can target your collateral, including blogs.

Plus, when you utilize buyer personas, your sales and marketing teams will be able to use this information to sell more.

Sell More by Naming a Problem to Solve a Problem

A problem named is a problem solved.

Many buyers can’t readily define their problems. They need help doing this. They need to determine the magnitude of their problems and the impact to their organizations by not solving them.

Tell Stories

You can sell more by solving these problems.

Marketing can approach problem solving at a strategic level by publishing case studies and success stories. People love hearing stories. The listener is able to paint a picture in his or her mind about the solution.

A salesperson can sell more by telling third party success stories in person. A story has three simple parts:

1. What the (similar) problem was that the other party experienced
2. How your company solved that problem
3. What the tangible benefit was to the other party

For example:

“We worked with a company similar to yours, where their problem was not getting enough ROI on sales training. We implemented the CFS Sales Growth Program. Within 30 days of launch, this organization gained a three-fold increase in new sales. They also recognized a 400% return on the investment they made in the sales training program.”

Sell More by Connecting Customers Emotionally to Concerns

How often have you identified the perfect solution to a buyer’s significant problem at the best price?

At the same time, how often did you fail to get the deal?

Chances are they didn’t buy because they didn’t connect to it. They couldn’t see how your solution could work.

Practice Active Listening

To get your prospect to connect with their problems you must take your buyer on a journey of discovery.

Do this using active listening. This is asking open-ended questions, designed to help your buyer deepen their understanding of their problem.

One example includes, “can you tell me more?” This question gets the active listening dialog started.

Other questions might include:

• “What have you done to solve the problem?”
• “What hasn’t worked, and why?”
• “What do you wish had gone differently?”

Lastly, ask a more personal question, like “how does not solving this problem impact you at a personal level?”

This last question allows your buyer to connect to the problem at an emotional level.  You will always sell more when buyers invest more of their personal skin in the game.

Sell More by Converting the Conversation from Cost to Investment

Marketing can help sales sell more by developing a return on investment formula. If the formula makes sense, the buyer will see it right away. They will see that by investing $100K into a project with you, it results in recouping $200K in losses. Another example is gaining $300K in new profit by investing $150K in a program with your organization.

We call this an investment conversation.

A cost conversation in contrast has a negative connotation for the buyer. They are losing $150K of their budget to develop a new training program if they can’t measure the return on investment.

Give Them a Mission

Solving a big enough problem will give you and your buyer a mission. After your buyer has gotten clear on the magnitude and impact of the problem under discussion, they will decide if they are willing to invest time, resources, and budget to solve this problem. They will also decide what role you and your organization will play.

How does this blog post resonate with your work? Tell us in the comments!