Subscribe
Subscribe via Social
Your Solution Is Not My Problem
Do you have a great solution?
Do you do something different, or better yet, unique?
Great. Now, if you want more sales, faster sales, and more profit per sale – forget about your solution.
I always know when a company or a salesperson is in for trouble. When asked about their company, they spend all of their time talking about their solution. They may have a great story, but what they all struggle to understand is that your solution is not my problem.
I wrote about this more than three years ago and things seem to be getting worse. Back then, I said:
Let me explain something that is very basic – if there is not a problem, there can be no solution. Period. No questions or discussion. I’d like to request that all salespeople and marketers stop talking to me about how wonderful their solution is. When they talk to me this way, all they do is demonstrate that they clearly have absolutely no understanding of the problems that matter most to me.
Here’s your challenge. If your customers and potential customer don’t understand their problems – and they don’t, then they cannot understand your solution. Nor can they understand how your solution is any different than any other solution. And they certainly can’t figure out why your solution is an absolute, must-have, can’t be without. In this drought, anything less is not enough to get access to budgets.
What should you do – start talking to me about my problems. Demonstrate that you understand me, my business, and my desired results as least as well as (preferably better than) I understand myself. If you can’t understand me at least as well as I understand myself – how can you possibly create any value? And if you don’t create any value, why should a prospect or customer spend any time talking with your company.
Now, you don’t need to understand every problem I have, just the important ones that align with what you do. At Imagine, we teach selling organizations to focus on what we call “high probability indicators/symptoms.” The likelihood is that 80% of the businesses that fit your Best Few Profile suffer problems that are 80% similar, so you don’t need to invent a new wheel every time you sell. The buying organization’s challenge is that they don’t understand their problems (think about it, if they did, they’d be getting the results they want). What’s new and unique to the buyer is standard operating procedure to you (which is why they need you).
Your job is to give the language so that the buying organization can trace the symptoms (that they are aware of) to the real problem. Just today, I had two conversations with someone who thought they had one problem and I helped them understand that the real problem was something entirely different (while this was a surprise to them, it was SOP to me). I spent no time whatsoever talking about my solution, and the buyers went from “looking at alternatives” to proceeding only with me.
Remember, my problem is my problem – and until I fully understand it, and understand that you understand it, you’re solution is a commodity at best and more likely an interruption. Stand out and make your customers feel understood.
Let Them Taste It
I’m from the government, I’m here to help you.
The check is in the mail.
Really, I promise you’ll get the benefits after you buy from me.
Truth be told, this is how 95%+ of businesses position themselves in the sales and marketing process. I’ve written (ad nauseum) about the fundamental need to create value in all aspects of the sales and marketing process. The problem is that merely claiming to be the best choice or promising that you’ll do wonderful things for people after they buy is not enough to capture the hearts and minds of people. Claims are no longer enough to drive buyer behavior.
Instead of waiting for people to buy from you before they can get a taste of what make you different, special, unique and/or better; let them taste it from the very first time they encounter you or your company – and furthermore, let them continue to taste it all the way through the buying process.
This is why content marketing is so powerful. Instead of promising expertise or superiority, you’re delivering it. By doing so, you are reducing the perceived risk for the buyer (which in an environment like today is a BIG deal), and giving the buyer more control (thus increasing their confidence), all while you build marketing assets which increase in value, and give you leverage, over time.
Recently, I was working with a client who had seen a precipitous increase in sales cycle times and sales costs. As we reviewed the problem, we found a significant increase in the number of opportunities that stalled towards the end of the sales cycle. The losses had been excused away – it was the economy, the prospect was cutting back, no more discretionary budgets, etc. As we reviewed their sales process, I discovered that they did a pretty good job up-front in establishing needs, but then fell back to the we-do’s. The value proposition focused on superior workflow process design, and how that design decreases costs and increases an organization’s productivity. As I said, they did an effective job of identifying cost and productivity needs, however, they left it to the buyer to believe their organization could help them. I recommended that they stop promising better workflow design and instead start letting their prospects experience it – at every touchpoint. It’s still early, but we’re already seeing an increase in sales and a decrease is cycle times.
Please note that what I’m talking about here goes beyond “sampling” (letting buyers try you out in some small, low risk fashion). I’m not against sampling, per se, but I think a) it’s often done in a highly transactional, manipulative way, and b) it is not enough. Sampling is what Kentucky Fried Chicken did when they made October 26 the “free piece of grilled chicken day.” What I’m talking about is re-orienting everything you do – from your website to your advertising to all aspects of your sales approach – to be the embodiment of the experience you are promising, rather than merely a statement of promise. As I shared in the recent webinar Making It Rain Even In A Drought, the lag time between the origin of a problem and the awareness can be quite long. By sharing your wisdom you can provoke their awareness, accelerate the sales cycle and make your competition irrelevant (because you’ll be the only one there when the prospect/customer becomes aware). The key is to stop selling your wares, and instead be helpful by providing your prospects a taste of your experience.
So, how do you (or can you) give your prospects a taste? Leave a comment, I promise I’ll give you feedback.
What Screenwriters Can Teach Business Executives
Anyone who knows me, or reads this blog, knows that I’m a big, BIG fan of story. I’ve always believed that the best story wins. Because of that, I bought Robert McKee’s classic book Story. After a couple of years sitting on my bookshelf, I finally brought it home and began reading it. And boy! Am I glad I did. The book is written for aspiring screenwriters, and it was my hope that I’d gain some insights to improve Imagine’s story and my clients’ stories’. Less than 10 pages into it, I had so many powerful quotes and thoughts that I had to put the book down and look at my business to see how I’m applying the thoughts today.
I thought I’d share these lessons with you. Below are a few excerpts. You’ll see the main thought McKee puts forth, an excerpt from McKee written for screenwriters, and my take. Take a look and tell me what you think – how would applying the principles of great story improve your business?
RSS subscribers click here if you do not see the presentation below.
The Drought
On our recent webinar Making It Rain Even In A Drought, I focused on some of the key actions companies need to take to grow in any market conditions – even down markets. It’s a process we call The Raindance. The first is to understand the market conditions you are in. The are three underlying conditions (a Perfect Storm if you will) that are creating the margin and growth pressures businesses are now facing – I call this The Drought. I thought I’d share an excerpt of the program with you.
By the way, we do still have spots available for September’s 2 Making It Rain webinars. Click here for details.
A Terrific Example of Story
At the great (GREAT) risk of offending at least half of the people (or more) that read this blog, I came across this terrific example of how to take a complicated, convoluted issue and turn it into an entertaining and influencing story. The video below is about healthcare/insurance reform.
Please do not get lost in the politics of the video. The point here is not whether you agree disagree with the issue. The point is the producer of this video turned his viewpoint into a great story. My bet is that this little, inexpensive story will have greater actual influence than all the town halls combined. UPDATE: I’ve received some feedback and want to point out again that whether you agree with the producer’s viewpoint or disagree – it’s a terrific job of weaving a very complicated, nuanced idea into a simple, compelling story.
Now, take a moment and think about your business. How can you turn your viewpoint into a story like this?
Tell Me A Story
I was struck by an excerpt from a Don Hewitt speech he gave talking about the success formula for 60 Minutes. He said it was a formula that every six-year old understood – “Tell Me A Story.” While this concept is certainly not new to me (I’ve been evangelizing it for years), what struck me was its simplicity and how well 60 Minutes has delivered on that philosophy for more than 40 years.
I’ve become even more aware of just how rare businesses tell stories, and how little time they spend articulating their story. Today, I was discussing the issue with a CEO friend of mine. He tends to be more operationally-oriented than I am, and often, finds his company stuck between the investments he’s made in improving the company and the acceptance he’s getting from the market (as measured by revenue growth, margin growth and profit growth). My advice to him was, “The best operation doesn’t win – the best story does. So if it ever comes down to a choice between investing in making the story better or investing in making the operation better, make the story better.” This doesn’t mean that you don’t need to invest in improving your operations (YOU DO!), it just means that you should never let improving your operation get in the way of making your story better.
From Advertising to Influence
As more and more data supports the diminishing return of traditional advertising, businesses (especially small and mid-size B2B businesses) are left wondering what to do. I’ve written many times this year about the importance of a content development strategy, and how do utilize content to support the sales process.
I’m in the middle of conducting a full review of how one of our clients is approaching this issue (a process we call The Packaging Audit). The vast majority of their promotional efforts are focused on traditional advertising in the form of direct mail, trade magazines and trade shows. The fundamental problem with this approach is that it creates no equity value whatsoever. In order to continue getting results (and diminishing ones at that) one must continue to do at least what they did before.
We agreed that we wanted to cut by at least 50% their expenditure on their legacy approach, and begin building promotional efforts that built equity value (meaning they increase in the value and impact without increasing effort or costs). Additionally, we agreed that any new budget items would have to clearly support The New Marketing Funnel. While they’ve certainly cut (especially on tradeshows), their concern was how would they continue to drive results if they cut across the board – even though they were not convinced there was any real ROI on these activities (a very common SME issue).
The value of a content strategy is that it focuses on creating value – rather than interupting the customer. If one takes the same approach to their advertising – looking to go beyond advertising and promotion to real influence – then the results can be equally compelling. Making this transformation, however, means that you must completely rethink all (and I mean ALL) of your advertising and corporate colatoral. This includes (but is not limited to) your website, your ads, your brochures, your product data sheets, your sales tools, etc. Here are the five key points to making this transformation:
Do your own audit – take a look at every piece of sales, advertising or promotional communication and ask yourself if you are applying these five points.
Making It Rain Even In A Drought
UPDATE: in less than 24 hours we’ve “sold out” the Making It Rain Even In A Drought webinar. Because of how much it has resonated, we are adding more dates – see below for details.
The last three weeks have brought a tide change in the economic outlook. CEOs are looking at growth initiatives more than they have in two years. Despite the increase in optimism, there are still several challenges your selling team faces:
- Discretionary budgets remain virtually non-existent at most companies.
- Record layoffs have fundamentally changed the playing field at your buyer’s organizations.
- The purchasing function has seized more control than ever in buying organizations – leading to even more acute commoditization.
So, the question you must be able to answer is:
How are we going to make it rain – regardless of the weather?
On August 27, 2009 I will be hosting a special webinar to answer this very question. As a reader of this blog, I invite you and your guest to attend this webinar free of charge. Here are the details:
When: Thursday, August 27, 2009-SOLD OUT Tuesday, September 15, 2009 & Tuesday, September 29,2009, 2PM (EDT)
Where: Anywhere you have an Internet connection
How Long: 55 minutes
Registration Information: Click Here for September 15, 2009 or Click Here for September 29,2009
I am going to be keeping the number of participants on this call to less than 25 to ensure that it is interactive – allowing you to ask questions and maximize the application of the ideas I am going to discuss – rather than making it the typical “talking head” presentation. While your questions will clearly impact what is covered on this call, I can promise we will address the issues:
- The 3 Critical Actions You Must Take to Drive Growth In High-Margin Areas
- How to create your own “Business Oasis”
- How to shorten the sales cycle – in any industry
- Monetizing the sales process by creating Cash Flow Farms
- The single most important focus to ensure you business thrives in any market condition
Why I am doing this for free, you may be asking? Is this just a sales pitch in disguise? The reason:
With increased talk and focus on the possibility of recovery, we realized that many businesses are positioning themselves to make the very same mistakes they made that got them into this mess. We want to start a new conversation and provide small and mid-sized businesses a newer, clearer direction that leads to more profitable business growth.
With only 25 slots available make sure you register now! Click here for September 15, 2009 or click here for September 29,2009 to ensure you’re Making It Rain – no matter what.
Selling Is Not War
I admit it. I’ve used military analogies from time to time to explain both strategies and tactics. War analogies are easy to use, easy to understand - and easy to misapply. For years, I’ve written about the various myths of selling, but the one that just gets my goat is this one – Selling Is War.
Recently I came across a sales oriented blog that finished their message on selling strategies with this paragraph:
If you are in sales, you are perpetually in a state of war. All salespeople are warriors who must fight the relentless march of time and enemies who are trying to defeat them daily. Sales is an intense hand-to-hand battle fought between two people or two groups of people who are each trying to win over the customer. The victor outsmarts, outmaneuvers, and overwhelms his enemies. In sales, just as in war, there can be only one winner, and today’s conqueror can quickly become tomorrow’s vanquished. The deciding difference is strategy.
If I searched the world for one paragraph that was at the focal point of what is wrong with selling, I could not find one better than this. What scares me about this, and why I’m pointing it out in this post, is that I think a lot of executives and salespeople believe this philosophy.
After reading the paragraph a couple of times, I admit that I’m not sure whether the author is saying that the customer is the enemy, the competitor is the enemy or both. What I do know, is that author is clearly communicating that sales – at it’s core – is a win/lose proposition. And this belief is at the core of why businesses are being so relentlessly commoditized.
Let’s be clear – SELLING IS NOT WAR; and any allusions to selling as war make your job as a fast growth executive or salesperson more difficult. Is it any wonder that top performers and brilliant salespeople bristle at the idea of “selling.”
The reality is, selling done right, is
• A win/win proposition
• Collaborative
• Creative
• Value Creative
• Fun
War is rarely, if ever, any of these (and the war referred to above is clearly none of these). So, let’s drop the silly war analogies, and get back to creating value for our prospects, customer and clients. When you do that, your competition (the enemy) becomes irrelevant.
The Ripken Way
My son just got back from Cal Ripken Jr.’s baseball camp. The camp is run by Cal and Bill Ripken‘s company. Cal is a fascinating person to watch. As “The Iron Man,” he can basically do whatever he wants; and he’s dedicated his post-professional career to making youth baseball better. My son had a great time and learned a lot in the process.
The Ripken Academy (which put on the camp) follows four simple principles in their instruction – what they call The Ripken Way. As my son was talking about The Ripken Way, I realized it’s application beyond youth baseball – to, well, everything. I spend a lot of time on this blog trying to share important ideas and examples that will enable small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) to accelerate their growth and create demand. My company, Imagine Business Development, works with SMEs and salespeople to help them improve their results. Without knowing The Ripken Way consciously, I realize that these are four principles that I always try to follow. Now that I know them, I’m going to ingrain in my company and our efforts. I want to share them with you, so you may do the same in your company. (The italics are my take on each principle.)
The Ripken Way is based on the following principles:
- Keep It Simple – it’s easy to make a solution complicated; the power of all great solutions lies in their simplicity.
- Make It Fun – if it’s not fun, it’s a) not worth doing, and b) people won’t stick to it.
- Explain Why- success in the future is all about judgment; if people don’t understand why they’re doing something – they’ll never be able to apply lessons to real life.
- Celebrate The Individual - everybody is special and uniquely talented; allow them to be themselves and they’ll do great things.
How can you apply these principles to your leadership?
Why Social Media Matters
At the beginning of this year, I issued a call to all small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) that social media, while still hyped to be more than it is, was no longer optional. Since that time I’ve seen some very wild reactions – everything from complete and total resistance to the apparent belief (or more likely desperate hope) that social media will solve all business problems. The bulk of SME executives, however, lie somewhere in the middle. Today, they are curious about social media, but a) they don’t understand it and b) they don’t believe that “their clients/customers” use it.
This morning, I came across an excellent presentation that (while a bit aggressive in tone) clearly highlights why it’s important, why it works and why you’re foolish not to be participating. It’s from the people at Brand Infiltration. Admittedly, I know nothing about them. This presentation, however, nails it and even though it’s 83 slides you need to read every one of them (yup – every single slide).
Making Your Message Powerful
As more and more companies are looking to transform their business to deal with the new realities, I am getting far more questions about messaging strategies. I’m also seeing strong small and mid-size companies (SMEs) struggle with what it means to develop a powerful message. Too often, however, the focus is on the words alone. Be it taglines, slogans, or elevator speeches – there is nothing any company can say that makes them different or better. There are, however, many things you can do.
This morning I was discussing this very topic with a great client in the midwest. I’d like you to hear what I shared with them.
Listen Here:
Carpe Opportunitas
Seize The Advantage! I’m seeing it. Businesses and consumers are beginning to lift their heads out of the sand. They’re hoping – they’re waiting. What are they waiting for? For someone to step up and really make their lives better – and I mean really.
What does that mean? It means that those companies that step up and create and deliver on a resonating promise will see profitable growth – and loyalty – beyond their wildest imagination. Companies that stop making buyers sacrifice will become the sellers of choice. They’ll gain such an advantage that it will be a generation before their competition will be able to narrow the gap. Don’t believe me – check out this study from The Kaufman Foundation. I love the tile, by the way: The Economic Future Just Happened.
Think about what that title means. If you haven’t radically changed your approach to the market, you’re now behind. So, ask yourself – and start answering:
- What would you have to do to deliver a selling proposition that was so resonating your desired buyer wouldn’t consider going anywhere else?
- How can you make money doing it?
Why Brochures Kill Profits
I hear it all the time: “I just need a brochure that explains what we do better,” or “If we could just create a piece that gets people to see how we’re different,” or “Hey, let’s mail our brochure to prospects and then they’ll be more likely to meet with us.” While I’m not (necessarily) against brochures or corporate collateral, the vast majority of them (like 95+%) are not only bad – they kill profits.
How? They completely commoditize you and your company. They’re like watching a home slide show, without the entertainment. High gloss and filled with we-do’s and pictures – here’s our warehouse, here’s our headquarters, here’s a stock photo designed to look like a client collaborating with one of our engaged employees, etc. They not only bore your audience, they make you completely indistinguishable from your competition (remember they have access to stock photos too).
I’ve said it before – and I’ll say it again (and again) – your buyer’s don’t have the time, the desire, or the inclination to care about you. What they care about is what you can do for them. What you need to provide is context. Stop telling them about what you do, and start enabling them to understand how what you do impacts them in relation to the results they want at this moment in time.
To do this, you must stop thinking of the world from your perspective and start thinking about the world from your client’s perspective. It means that you must know and understand you customer better than they understand themselves. It means start creating demand, rather than merely fulfilling it; and creating value in all (and I mean all) aspects of your business development efforts.
Now, if you want a brochure that drives profits, make it a book; albeit a mini-book. Think about the business books that you’ve read (and enjoyed). What did they all do? They created value by addressing your issues, rather than talking about themselves. They diagnosed issues and helped you design solutions. They stood on their own.
Think about your favorite business book for a moment. What do you think of the author? In the vast majority of circumstances, I know three things about your answer:
- You have no personal knowledge of the author or their abilities.
- You view the author as an expert and you trust what the author has to say.
- The author did not provide you a brochure to “prove” their abilities or establish credibility. (The closest an author comes to providing a brochure is a bio and there’s a reason the bio is usually at the end of the book – it’s the least valuable part.)
This is why content and a content development strategy is so important. It packages your wisdom and capabilities in such a way that buyer’s desire it and it makes you more attractive. It forces you to create value – whether the prospect buys from you or not. It also drives better performance from your employees because they better understand their importance.
Most importantly, a good content strategy separates you from your competition and allows you to grow your profits.
What’s Your Back Story
Two years ago, I asked if your company would make a good TV show. I was reminded of this post over the weekend, when I sat down with my family and watched a one day marathon of The Land of The Lost. It was fascinating to see just how campy the show was (and the animation was hilarious).
I was done with the nostalgia trip after about three episode, but my kids weren’t. They wanted to watch it all day. So here we have my kids – the prototypical modern children – raised on life like animation, PSPS, Wii’s, etc. And why were they pulled in? The story. And what really pulled them in was the back story.
In 37 words, everyone knows what the story is about. Whether it’s your first episode or your fiftieth. Whether you’ve just seen the episode, or you’ve missed the last five. 37 words and I know what I’m about to see, and, more importantly, I understand the characters and the story. Here are the 37 words:
Marshall, Will, and Holly
On a routine expedition
Met the greatest earthquake ever known.
High on the rapids
It struck their tiny raft.
And plunged them down a thousand feet below.
To the Land of the Lost.
Simple, eloquent and effective. I don’t need to know anything before hearing the words to understand it (no curse of knowledge here).
So, after a day of Land of the Lost, I thought it was time to renew the question. Would your company make a good TV show? What’s your back story? Would Will Ferrell (or anyone else) what to make a “re-make” of your company?
-
Resources
Doug's Washington Business Journal Columns- Intelligent Growth Articles
Third Wave Selling Blog
Products to Grow
