Three Reasons to Give Me a Solution, Not a Sales Pitch

Closed for businessWe don’t want to be sold. When we expect a sales pitch, we put our defenses up, or just turn away.

We always need solutions to challenges. Lower cost, reduce risk, increase visibility. Your solution does that, right? The problem is, everyone else’s does too. Claims like these are so broadly used in marketing they have become cliche and have lost nearly all meaning.

The answer is to show me your solution. No, not the worn out demo, where I commit my time and you share a mostly canned view of your product. Skip the traditional positioning step and tell me what you will do specifically for me.

Of course, we have never spoken, your proposal will not be perfect. As a buyer, I understand that. And by skipping directly to showing me a personalized solution, you also show me three things that are important in selecting a partner.

  • You understand my needs and my business. By taking the time to create an appropriate solution instead of sending me a solution sheet without context, you show my business is important and worth investing in.
  • You have a solution for me. It is sized for my business, it works in my environment. Although this requires some legwork, and possibly some educated guesses, it gives us a starting point for discussion and it makes your solution tangible as part of my business.
  • You respect my time. We skipped an entire meeting (or three) of introductions and overviews, and can immediately begin discussing if you have an appropriate solution for me.

Here is a great example of an unsolicited solution delivering results:

From the Babcock & Jenkins blog: Qwest Enterprise Marketing ROCKS Their Targeted Accounts. The program highlights are impressive:

  • 25% of targeted companies converted to pipeline opportunities in only 90 days.
  • 42% of companies responded to the program.

In my opinion, the key was a solution created specifically for every company, including a 40 page recommendation. The program didn’t rely on traditional marketing language, it skipped directly to presenting a relevant solution. A solution that was valuable to the recipient, not a marketing message that was valuable to the company to distribute.

Like many buyers, I often will not take the time to talk to sales until I know you have an appropriate solution for me. So skip the sales pitch and materials, make it easy for me to understand your solution for my business. You just might get a quick sale.

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