Here is the practical how-to...
That's Not A Problem!
After a couple of decades of value-added selling, after asking hundreds of clients what their most significant problems were, not one has ever given me a problem. Not one. Here are the most common responses:
- "Our sales are down"
- "Our margins are being squeezed"
- "Our market/industry is down and we're shrinking along with it"
- "We can't find good people"
- "Off-shore competition is killing us"
- "Our competitors are playing dirty"
None of those are problems. They are all symptoms.
During the needs analysis phase of my involvement with a client, we often cut through the symptoms and find the real problem, or at least we come closer. At that point, the client could say, "Well, thanks for finding the real problem; we will not need your training!" But they don't - why?
As with your sales, uncovering your customer's problem - identifying it and quantifying it - may be a huge step in solving it. But it still needs to be solved. Further, something needs to be done to prevent the problem from returning or from being replaced by yet another problem.
Last week I had breakfast with a cutting-edge CEO who knows more about leadership than most folks I know. He was looking for ways to take his company to the next level in Supply Chain Selling. He saw me as one of the resources for solution ideas. The conversation led to some good ideas - and one spectacular one. It was the conversation, the dialog, that was valuable.
This morning I received an email from a salesperson in eastern Europe who has been using PLUSH for some time. He was looking for help with yet another problem.
When you are viewed as a problem solver, you become one of your customer's most valuable assets. They'll keep you around.