Selling the Solution, Not the Product
Contributed by Grant Stanley on February 28, 2015 in Strategy, Marketing, & Sales
Selling can be sleazy when it’s manipulative. “Let me
convince you to do something, so I’ll get what I
want.”
If you want to grow your business, and feel good
about yourself at the same time, it’s necessary to
change the way you think about “selling.”
Everyone buys things. If you provide a product or
service that has real value and helps people solve real
problems, there is someone who will want to buy it.
That someone is struggling with the problem you’re prepared to solve. They wouldn’t want a
solution if solving the problem wasn’t important to them. So if you can help them solve their
problem and do a good job of it, you have become their new best friend. They not only will

want to buy what you have to sell, they will want to buy from you again and again because
now they have begun to trust that you are someone who can help them solve their problems.
When you are able to shift your thinking from “I’m selling something” to “I’m serving
someone by helping them solve a problem that they care about,” you’ll find yourself feeling
great when that someone buys your stuff.
I have developed 5 ways to make that shift.
Step #1 – Be Clear on the Value You Offer
It all begins with you understanding; what are the problems you are uniquely qualified to
help your clients or customers solve?
But you can’t stop there. What problems does your product or service address? What
resources do you bring to help your customer/client solve those problems? Why should
people believe that your proposed solution really works?
Make a list of the problems and then list how your product or service solves each problem.
Make a list of the resources your customer or client will have at their disposal when they

purchase your product or service. Then gather testimonials, endorsements, case studies and
anything else that will demonstrate your solution really works.
It’s been found that people are 10 times more likely to respond to a solution to a problem
they have than they will to an opportunity to achieve something they want. So, make sure
you really understand how you can help others solve their problems.
Step #2 – Understand Your Client or Customer’s “Critical Need”
Once you’ve understood, in general, the types of problems you are uniquely qualified to
solve, the next step is to understand who has those sorts of problems and would be attracted
to your particular solution.
You may think that everyone needs what you have, but that’s never true. Even if we assume
everyone has the problem you’re solving, only certain types of people will be attracted to the
way you solve it.
Apple has done an amazing job of helping people solve problems they didn’t even know they
had–like the ability to carry their entire music library with them in a pocket size device, or to
watch TV shows or videos on a book size device. Most people will agree that Apple’s

products are good quality. And just about everyone wants to listen to music or watch videos
these days, but not everyone is going to buy an Apple iPod, iPhone or iPad. For some the
products are too expensive. For others, the products don’t go well with other equipment
they already use. Apple’s success has been successfully targeting people who are willing to
pay more for a product that helps them feel special and unique while being useful at the
same time.
My name is “Grant Stanley” and my entire focus has been building on the alliances I’ve been
able to make with influential people in many industries. What I’ve learned is that you can
connect with anyone, no matter how famous, how successful, or how inaccessible they may
be, when you can identify their “critical need.”
I define my perfect alliance partner as “that person or organisation for whom you are
uniquely qualified to fulfill their most critical need and in fulfilling that need you fulfill your
own critical need at the same time.”
You’re in the business of solving problems. Step #2 is about finding the people who have
those problems and consider them significant enough that they’re willing to pay to solve
them.

Step #3 – Build Trust
People will only buy from or work with people they trust. These days, building trust begins
by establishing a relationship with people who have the problems you are prepared to solve.
You build trust by getting testimonials, endorsements, or case studies from people who have
benefited from your products or services. You can also build trust by demonstrating you
have had success in the past. And you can build trust by offering knowledge, service, or even
products for free so that your potential customers and clients have the chance to see how
well you can help them solve their problems.
Step #4 – Remove the Perception of Risk
Whenever someone purchases something there is a risk that it won’t serve their needs. To
the extent you can show others that the risk that your product or service will not provide the
promised value is very low, the more likely it is that people will be willing to invest in what
you offer them.
One simple way to reduce risk is to offer a guarantee. If they’re not happy, they can return
the product or service and get a refund within some period of time. A guarantee allows the
customer to see if the promise matches up to their experience.

But you can reduce risk in other ways as well. You can offer additional bonuses and extras
for free so the value customers receive is so much greater than what they’re paying that they
feel the risk of not being satisfied is low.
The more you build your reputation, the less risky people will feel about doing business with
you. When you have endorsements or support from well-known or trusted authorities, you
inspire confidence that you can deliver on your promises.
Step #5 – Genuinely Care About Your Customer
This is Hugely Important!
When you see yourself as “serving” rather than “selling” then you let go of your attachment
to “making the sale.” Your focus and concern is with making sure that your customer really
has a need you (or your products and services) are uniquely qualified to fulfil. This is the
place where the Golden Rule comes in: treat your customers as you would want to be
treated. Your job is no longer trying to sell to anyone. It becomes identifying people who
have problems you can solve. These are the people you are here to serve and serving them
becomes fun!

About Grant Stanley
Grant Stanley is an experienced Sales & Marketing Leader with over 15 years coaching, training, and
developing New and Existing Business. With experience in IT, Telecom, Capital Equipment, and FMCG,
Grant shares his business experiences and expertise on his blog, CSM Consultants (Inspiring & Enabling
Change) . You can also connect with Grant Stanley on LinkedIn here .

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