Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse by Darrell Amy
Sales reps want to sell products. Sales managers want the collateral to talk about products. Dealer owners want their websites to feature products.
Here’s the problem: prospects don’t want to buy products, they want their problems solved.
Zig Ziglar was famous for saying: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
- You want to sell products.
- Your prospects want to solve problems.
- Therefore, if you want to sell products you have to help people solve problems.
As marketers and sales reps, our job is to build bridges between our clients’ business problems and the products we sell.
We all know this intuitively. When it comes to creating marketing collateral, why do we chicken out and focus on products instead of problems?
POSSIBLE REASON ONE: WE ARE SELF-CENTERED
This may be true for a few. But I have a higher faith in mankind. I think that most sales reps, marketing managers, and dealer owners truly want to be of service.
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POSSIBLE REASON TWO: WE ARE SCARED THAT PROSPECTS WON’T EVER GET TO THE PLACE OF TALKING ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS
Here’s the reality: people buy from people they trust. Few things breed mistrust faster than someone who gives you the sense that they only care about themselves. How do you build trust? You focus on helping the prospect and their problems. Ask lots of open ended questions:
- What challenges are you facing in your business today?
- What are your goals for this year?
- What would you like to see happen in this particular area of your business?
POSSIBLE REASON THREE: WE ARE AFRAID IF WE DON’T FOCUS ON PRODUCTS WE WON’T GET FOUND ONLINE
There is a fear that if marketing doesn’t explicitly focus on products the dealer won’t get found online. In reality, the way people are using search engines like Google is changing. Most people go to Google with “long tail searches”. Rather than typing in “copiers” or “copier dealer” they are more apt to ask a question like, “Are documents scanned to email on an MFP secure?” or “How can I provide access to my files in the cloud without violating HIPAA regulations?”
People mainly go to Google searching for answers to their problems, not for the products. The more answers you can provide to their problems, the more you will get found. And when they do find you, you’ll provide helpful information that will build trust. In essence, you are earning the right to talk about products.
Pay attention to your conversations and your writing today. Are you talking about products or are you addressing solutions to your prospects’ problems?