Is your solution selling strategy working?

Is your solution selling strategy working?
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Is your solution selling strategy working?
Every sales leader needs to regularly ask if their solution selling strategy is achieving the desired results they seek. Are the investments and sales strategies actually moving their sales team forward in a way that makes sense? If not, the longer you delay figuring out what needs to change, the deeper you’ll fall into a hole.

Top warning signs that your solution selling strategy needs help
Based upon thousands of solution selling training program participants, here are a few signs that your solution selling strategy needs review and re-work to fire on all cylinders:

  • Lagging Sales Growth
    You are not growing profitable revenue as fast as your plan, your competitors, or your industry.
  • Decreased Effectiveness
    Your paths to market are not working as effectively as they once did.
  • Greater Expectations
    You are expected to reach higher sales targets than ever before.
  • Inconsistency
    You record meaningful differences in revenue from one sales rep to another and from one region to another.
  • Sales Metric Conflicts
    Your sales team’s success metrics are misaligned or in conflict with each other, other departments, or with the overall business strategy.

If you are experiencing any of the above solution selling strategy warning signs, it is time to take another look at your value proposition, target client profile, and key sales and marketing strategies to acquire, grow, and retain clients.

Four solution selling strategy next steps
Our organizational alignment research found sales strategy accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing sales teams.  Unfortunately, we find only 1 in 10 sales organizations consistently follow solution selling best practices.  It is well worth your while to take a close look at your existing sales strategy, sales culture, and sales talent to ensure sales alignment and execution.

As a sales leader, make sure that you to get your arms around:

  1. Identifying and focusing on strategic and major accounts
    Know your target client profile and where the revenue potential exists so you can make informed decisions about how to invest and where to deploy your resources. Rank your accounts by performance and potential according to those that have the ability and are likely to buy as opposed to those that are unlikely prospects based upon an agreed-upon definition.

    Your sales reps should immerse themselves in the high potentials until they have multiple contacts at various levels, and understand who the buyers are as well as the customer criteria and process for making purchase decisions.
  2. Following a consistent solution selling methodology
    The actual selling process begins with prospecting for targeted opportunities. Your sales pipeline should reflect all of the deals you are chasing and be weighted in a way that provides a clear picture as to where they stand in the buying process.

    Then your sales reps should follow an agreed-upon solution selling methodology that works for your unique high performance sales culture.
  3. Building a world-class sales team
    Smart sales leaders invest the time and resources necessary to build a team of “A” sales players who fit within the sales culture and who can execute the sales strategy. On average, top solution sellers generate five to ten times more revenue than average players. That represents a huge boost to your numbers.

    When you hire new sales folks, don’t settle.  Go for the best and do what it takes to keep them engaged and retained.
  4. Investing in sales tools and resources
    Give your sales reps the sales tools they need to optimize their time with their customers. They should have systems for customer relationship management, for knowledge sharing among team members, and for accessing success stories, customer testimonials and research.

    They should also receive targeted business sales training that focuses on the critical few sales scenarios that matter most for your sales strategy, unique value proposition, and target customer profile.

The Bottom Line
Do yourself, your sales team, and your company a favor. Spend the time at least four times a year reevaluating how well your solution selling strategy is serving you. The decisions and adjustments you make should translate directly to improved sales performance.

To learn more about solution selling strategy, download How To Tell If Your Sales Strategy Clear Enough?

 

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