ARE YOU WATCHING OUT FOR THE SOLUTION TRAP?

By Ron LaVine, MBA
President of Accelerated Cold Call Training, Inc.

It is a common trap. A solution trap that many sales reps fall victim too. Let's look at how the trap works by examining two situations.

In the first scenario, Typical Sales Rep has done some homework on the Internet by stopping by the prospect's web page, visiting LinkedIn, Jigsaw, etc. and reading about the prospect’s solution and industry.

Maybe the sales rep has gone so far as to read the prospect’s Management Analysis and Review in the annual report and study the career section to find out who is being hired and for what types of project.

By the way, these are key activities you should do before cold calling on a large organization.

Based on these observations, Typical Sales Rep begins to put together a selling plan based on what they think is best for the prospect.

Next, Typical Sales Rep walks in or calls in and makes a quick introduction. Typical Sales Rep hopes they are presenting to the right person who has the authority to buy.

Typical Sales Rep may ask a few questions but soon feels the need to present the features and benefits of their complete solution.

Usually this is a strategic overview of how other companies have used their solution rather than a specific situational view of how this prospect can use the solution to meet their specific and unique requirements.

Never mind that the sales rep has not done enough questioning to understand what is needed, the sales rep feels it is vitally important for them to rely the importance of what they have to offer.

“If our solution has worked for other companies then it will definitely work for you.”

Typical Sales Rep has just triggered the solution trap.

Once caught in the solution trap it becomes difficult to move in any other direction but forward.

Now that the Typical Sales Rep has started to present, it becomes a challenge to go backwards and ask questions about what the prospect would like to see or hear presented about their specific situation.

The Typical Sales Rep can only hope their presentation has hit a hot button and even so, the sales rep may still not have created or crafted a compelling reason to buy.

Now let's look at our second rep only let's entitle them as an Info Sales Rep.

One of the advantages of staying in what I call “information mode” is that it makes people less defensive and more willing to provide information.

People don’t like to be sold, they like to buy. Prospects don’t want to be talked to by a sales rep; they would rather speak with a salesperson who understands their specific needs.

Let’s get back to the Info Sales Rep.

They too also have visited the prospect’s web site to gain an understanding of how the prospect does business and look for clues of what types of situations are affecting the way the prospect conducts their business.

The Info Sales Rep then tailors a list of specific situational questions designed to uncover the prospect’s current and future needs, challenges, problems and pains.

Then the Info Sales Rep, once in front of the person they know has the authority to buy invests their time asking questions and listening closely to the meanings in the answer.

What the prospect says is then feedback to them to insure a clear understanding between the Info Sales Rep and the prospect.

Like the sales rep, the temptation to present a solution builds.

However, the Info Sales Rep has trained themselves to be more disciplined and ask even more questions to help the prospect agree to isolate what the challenges are and what is of importance to them, the prospect, in a solution.

The Info Sales Rep wants to know what the prospect values most in a solution BEFORE presenting their solution so they consciously avoid presenting solutions before knowing the facts.

By having asked specific situational questions and having gained agreement on what is of importance to the prospect, the Info Sales Rep now has it much easier when it comes time for the presentation of a situation specific solution.

When excellent information collecting skills are combined with a good, highly focused, "what's best for the customer presentation", then the close of a sale a.k.a. the opening of a new partnership becomes a natural conclusion.

The Info Sales Rep has mastered the art of helping the prospect to buy using direct questions based on the prospect's answer.

After all, which makes more sense? Delivering a presentation, which focuses upon the prospect’s unique situation or trying to sell to the prospect on a “one size fits all” solution?

The Lessons

Take your Typical Sales Rep hat off and put your Info Sales Rep hat on as you seek to gain understanding of how an organization does business before trying to sell anything.

You may even save your precious selling time by learning there is not even a need to sell because the prospect is not qualified for your solution.

Train yourself to resist talking about your solution too soon by being interested rather than interesting.

This informational, question based approach, will help keep the prospect’s defenses down and will encourage them to really open up about what is bothering them or what they would like to do better and why.

Avoid implying what you have to offer is more important than what the prospect needs.

There is a time to learn and a time to sell.

They are separate and when used in the proper order you will find your presentations more effective. Closing will happen more often and much easier than before.

Finally, you’ll enjoy greater selling success than ever before.


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Ron LaVine, MBA is president and founder of Accelerated Cold Call Training, Inc., a cold call training firm located in Oak Park, CA. If you would like information on How to Make Successful Cold Calls – LIVE Call Training please call Ron at 818-519-3852 or visit www.coldcalltraining.com. © 2011 by Accelerated Cold Call Training, Inc.