Servant Selling is Solving Customer Problems

Selling is all about solving a problem for an account or potential customer. In fact just about every business you can think of was started to solve a customer’s problem. And in general, the company that provides the most elegant solution, that is, the solution that fits best and has the fewest potential downsides in the mind of the customer, will get the business.

I said in general because there is one missing element. The missing element is the sales and marketing plan along with the execution of that plan. You can have the best solution to your potential customers problem and still lose the business unless you have developed a strategy to clearly communicate your superior solution.

Inferior companies with inferior solutions take business away from superior companies with superior business every day of every week. You can have the best product solution in the world, but you still have to do a great job of communicating that in a way that resonates with the decision makers in a potential account.

I lost a contract the week before posting this. I had by far the best solution for this customer. But I just went in and answered her questions. I didn't clearly share the uniqueness of our solution the way I normally do. It cost me the commission. Just as important from a servant stand point, I cost her a far better solution.