So, You Want To Sell Solutions? Part 3: "Know Your Customer"

Whenever I have done consulting to organizations looking to expand sales, one of the very first things I do is create a straw composite profile of what my potential customer will look like, the industries and verticals he will represent, and the most common issues he is likely to encounter.

This is a simple process and it will save you from a lot of the trial and error associated with product launch.

Earlier we discussed identifying a market need for our solution.

Now we address the user.

Keep in mind that solutions are sought and acquired only to address an experienced or anticipated pain.
No Pain=No Solution.

If you know in advance the market you are targeting and the major needs and concerns of your potential customers, you can really accelerate your process.



Identify: Who is my target? The industry, and the most likely person(s) to reach out to.


Detail: What 2-3 critical issues does my solution address and how?


Approach: What single paragraph statement can I make that will engage their attention?



In the first contact of your potential customers, you either engage them or lose them within the first 20 seconds of your sales call or first paragraph of your email.

I generally refer to this first contact as my "Thirty Second Elevator Pitch"

This is my opening statement to contacts that imparts the value add of my solution.

Ask yourself now, if I were on an elevator with the purchasing authority and had only thirty seconds to engage him, What compelling statement could I make to get him to want to explore my offering?

Be sure your statement is compelling, relevant and projects a real value add.

So, do your homework, know who your selling to and why they need your product/service and create the statement you will make based on the straw man research you have already done.

Remember:

You do not get a second chance to make that first impression.

(To be Continued)