Sell a problem, not a solution.

Note: I hadn’t planned to write another post on concept-selling but the response to the first one took me by surprise. Pleasantly so. I heard from old friends and new acquaintances and best of all, some young entrepreneurs got in touch and we had a couple of great brainstorms. It is encouraging to see that the new generation is every bit as ‘passionate’ as mine was. I’m not sure I was able to help much, as the world today is very different from when I started out, but it was great to revisit my own youth through their eyes. And at their request I am writing this followup.

In my line of business, the market doesn’t know it needs my solution because it doesn’t know it has a problem. And by ‘problem’ I mean functional issues or bottlenecks that, if resolved, will dramatically improve the entire business.

That’s my biggest challenge. Most people don’t enjoy being told that they have a problem, and they certainly don’t enjoy hearing about the cause of that problem from an outsider. I have to accept that, and work with it. So I think of my role as: problem-solving on behalf of my client. But, I first have to define the problem (latent or explicit), over and over, and only when he is convinced that he actually does ‘suffer’ from this problem, I can go in with a solution.

Two minuses make a plus

Naturally it’s a tricky subject. Pointing out a problem or a bottleneck is usually seen as fault-finding or negative thinking or worse, a form of ambulance-chasing. Most people will go to great lengths to avoid admitting that there is a problem, which is understandable, and that is why the key is to find the right person. Find someone who is directly and personally affected by the problem and pitch to him, individually. An organisation or team or department doesn’t feel ‘pain’, only a person does – so find that person (not in a negative way but in an aggressively-improving way). I’m very careful to do this ethically and I have trained my sales staff to do the same. I don’t lie or exaggerate, I simply paint a compelling picture of his current reality. I do this by becoming an expert on his pain points, their ripple effect, and how his company is being affected.

Disease first, then vaccine.

Think of it like a new vaccine. If you go up to a healthy person and offer to vaccinate him, even free of charge, you’ll probably get a punch in the face, or at best he’ll run away from you – a natural human reaction. So, you first have to convince him as to why he needs the vaccine, which is a lot of work. And that’s what concept-selling is a lot of work. No shortcuts.

First, you have to understand the anatomy of your patient (to continue with the vaccine analogy). Then, you have to learn about his personal medical history. Does he have a history of recurrent illness? File that away. Does he have children or family or others he cares about who have a history of recurrent illness? File that away too. Gather as much information as you can about your patient’s history, lifestyle, and background, and then build a convincing story that makes sense to him. Once you break down that barrier and have a receptive audience, the rest of the process (although still not easy) becomes somewhat straightforward, i.e. a matter of supplying enough facts, figures and data.

As the saying goes, accepting the problem is the first step in solving it. I’d say that applies very much to concept-selling.

To all the people who responded to me via email, this blog, or social media, many thanks and do keep those comments and questions coming. I strongly believe that everybody, regardless of background or experience or age, has an opinion worth sharing and worth learning from. So, let’s share!