Don’t sell. Solutionize*.
No one likes a salesman. They have an agenda, and that’s to sell you what they have, whether or not it meets your needs.
That’s why solution selling is the answer: instead of talking about your services or product specs, you’re taking the time to understand what’s keeping your customers up at night. And then offering them specific solutions that lo, your company happens to excel at. Win-win.
*This may not be an actual word.
LTV, or Lifetime Value of a Customer, is one of those fancy things I learned at (ahem) Wharton. Sure, you can sell anything to anyone once, but the true skill is in building a lasting relationship with your customer.
Here are examples of a solution selling framework, first developing a blueprint from research and stakeholder interviews, and then taking that information to develop a sample dialogue.
Make LTV happen.
Straightforward and accessible. This document also elevates a key point, which is that a great writer can get up to speed quickly on any topic. From gamma spectrometers to lease management to diapers to cybersecurity. Your industry people are great at what they do, but they’re not so in love with the craft of writing that they obsess over the nuance of every word.
Don’t have your research scientists do your content. You wouldn’t have your content experts figuring out the R-squared in a regression model, would you?
