There’s no doubt about it, these are challenging times for any SME. Not only are the rules of how you do business constantly changing as new restrictions are put in place at a moments notice, but you may also find that those loyal customers of yesterday have suddenly disappeared and you’re now in a battle to win new market share.
Well, here’s a sure-fire tip to help you win that battle.
Don’t Sell Your Product. Sell Your Solution!
Solution selling lets your customers know how you can solve a problem for them.
Selling the solution will make you stand out from competitors
In many cases there can be a serious disconnect between what your customers need and what you as a business owner, want to promote. It’s worth keeping in mind that as markets get more and more competitive, helping a customer alleviate a problem they have or helping them achieve an aspiration they long to fulfil will in the long-run, differentiate you from your competition and will ultimately win you the sale. This is true of both B2B and B2C businesses.
Following the four easy steps I’ve outlined below, will help you create impactful messaging that will resonate with your target customers, encourage them to engage with you and eventually, to purchase from you.
1. Understand Your Customer Pain Points
What are “pain points”? These are the triggers that cause customers to go searching for your product or service in the first place. In some instances, they may not necessarily be a “pain” point, but they are most certainly challenges or frustrations of some kind. So, how do you determine what these pain points are? Well, there are many ways you can do this – one is to listen to what your customers are saying or more importantly what they are buying. For example, if sales of a specific product or service suddenly increase, then this could be a clue as to what challenges customers are experience and what they are looking for to alleviate those challenges.
2. Engage and Inform
This is where knowing what those paint points are will help you attract new customers. By addressing your customer challenges up front you’ll make your advertising or your social posts stand out and capture the customer’s eye (or ear!) thereby encouraging them to read or listen more to what you’re saying. With engagement comes trust and with trust comes sales so this is a very worthwhile investment of your time.
3. Let Your Product Be The Solution
Now that you’ve attracted the customer to engage more with you, the next step is to tell them how your product or service will solve the challenge or pain point they’re experiencing. Put yourself in their shoes – set out the problem and then provide the solution – and don’t forget to add a strong CTA (call to action) to seal the deal!
4. Shout About What Makes You Different
With so many choices available, you want to make sure that you are the clear choice so be concise about what makes you and your product different to your competitors. To be really effective, you want to be a specific as you can. Making statements like “we’re the best” won’t work. What are you the best at? Be clear – stand out!
So now that we’ve looked into these four pointers in more detail, let’s see how they can all work together to make your business stand out.
For this, I’m going to look to one of the leading heavy-hitters in the market today – Apple. Back in 2015, Apple launched their newest phone, the iPhone 6. One of the features of this new phone was a 12-megapixel camera. But instead of focusing on the technical specifications of this camera, Apple instead focused on what having this new camera would mean for Apple customers. The result was an eye-catching campaign that showed what could be achieved by simply clicking a button and cementing the idea that with the right camera everyone can take great photos.
But you don’t need to be Apple to achieve this sort of success. Here’s an everyday example:
Let’s say your business sells wellington boots. They are fleece lined and completely waterproof. Take a look at both these messages and see which one catches your attention more!
or
Now that you know how to sell the solution, give it a go. I’m sure you’ll find it a very successful way to Market Your Business.
If you’d like to talk some more about how selling the solution can help your business win sales, be sure to give me a call, I’d love to talk to you.