How to build a proven sales process for selling software. There are thousands of sales books out there but which are best for you. Sales methodology is the framework or philosophy that guides how a salesperson approaches each step within the sales process. Solution selling is used pretty broadly these days, but salespeople using this methodology typically follow this. Solution in hightech is usually a system of products that interact with each other to solve a specific customer business problem. The 9 best sales methodologies for closing complex deals.
The microsoft solution selling process, short mssp, helps you to drive revenue and grow your business by standardizing the sales process to drive opportunities through sales stages more effectively and. In the solution selling process, the sales rep places more attention on the particular problem or issue that a customer is having. However, we all know that to successfully close large and complex deals, its essential for sales teams to have a more structured approach and focus on the right steps to bring deals to closure. He has supplied cloudbased solutions to recruitment consultancies in over 50 different countries worldwide for the. I have sold both products and services in my last 8 years of modest experience. The new solution selling focuses on streamlining the proven solution selling process and quickly differentiating both oneself and ones products from the competition while decreasing the time spent between initial qualifying and a successful, profitable close. Solutions selling has been all the rage over the last 5 to 10 years, yet 75 percent of the companies that attempt to offer solutions fail to return the cost of their investment. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Solution selling is a type and style of sales and selling methodology. To facilitate that mission, microsoft adopted the solution selling method and fashioned it within the constructs of its internal and partner sales mechanisms. Choosing an ecommerce system for selling your licensed. If you need an ecommerce solution focused on selling software licenses, solo server may already have everything you want, including a competitive rate. Microsoft solutions framework msf is a set of principles, models, disciplines, concepts, and guidelines for delivering information technology services from microsoft. What you are trying to sell at each stage may be different.
Why you should use the solution selling process lucidchart blog. Without corresponding transformations in the sales and delivery models any evolution from product to solution will be an illusion. In such cases, solution selling eases the collaboration because both partners know the methodology and use the same vocabulary to define where they are in the sales process. Enhance your b2b sales strategy by focusing on selling the solution, not the product. This methodology is well suited for complex deals such as large sales of software, consulting services and other transactions with an extended sales process and where the final decision lies in the csuite. Learn about the solution selling technique and find out how an organization can begin to make the shift from product selling to solution selling in this chapter excerpt. Solution selling refers to the philosophy or practice of uncovering a customers pain points and then providing products and services that address the underlying business problem. The new b2b sales process is enormously stressful for buyers. He has increased sales with a number of growing companies in a wide range of industries including business software, it, telecoms, cleantech and industrial. Understand the microsoft sales process to unlock more. As such, any silos or archaic compensation strategies that impede solution selling. During this process, the sales representative will suggest similar products or.
The solution selling fieldbook now shows how to make solution selling work for you. Conceptual selling focuses on the buying process and managing the stakeholders involved when selling to a given organization. The microsoft solution selling process customer success. For early to midstage b2b software and saas companies, selling in to the enterprise is hard. Solution selling is the process of selling the customer a solution to their problems as opposed to a product or service. The difference between selling product and selling solution.
Another great question to ask a clevel executive, because every ceo wants to see the roi of any process, people or technology they have invested in. It will also bring to their attention without directly pointing it out. This article will cover the typical seven steps or stages in that process, but remember that not every sale or customer interaction will follow the same path. This new sales technique, which would become known as solution selling, had a radically different sales process than the most popular sales. Sales methodologies are a dime a dozen these days, with each one promising unprecedented growth and revenue. Whether it be a person or a company, you dont buy the bottle of vitamin water because you like the colour. Understanding the solution sales process the balance careers. However, to begin to profit from solution selling, you need to master these four steps to solution selling. This is partially justified by the amount of pain youre signing up for by doing an enterprise sales process, but is mostly just pure, naked price discrimination. The solution sales process is all about meeting your clients needs and bringing a solution to solve a problem. For prices customarily contemplated by software companies.
This method, known as the microsoft solution selling process mssp, is the subject of this section. Product selling involves merely trying to persuade a customer that the product you sell is a better version than the similar products each of your competitors is selling. A new accelerator from microsoft came out available since march 2010. In an hbr article, ceb and hbr explain the nature of the shift. Closing is about advancing the sales process to ultimately get an order.
Put simply, solution sales is when a professional sells or tries to sell a product or service that satisfies a customers need. The top 10 sales methodologies you should consider for. You may adopt a single methodology to govern your entire sales process or apply different methodologies in each step of the sales process. On the other hand, the sandler selling system is geared towards the sale of goods with a short sales cycle. A sales cycle is a series of events or phases that occur during the selling of a product or service. Solution selling consists of these rough steps as a sales process. Solution selling is a system of methods that includes tools, job aids, techniques, and procedures that help salespeople and sales teams navigate the selling steps that close more sales faster. Forrester research is projecting only a 6% increase in it sales. The term solution infers that the proposed new product produces improved outcomes and successfully resolves the customer problem. Traditional solution selling is based on the premise that salespeople should lead with openended questions designed to surface recognized customer needs. Insight selling is the new solution selling forbes. The solution selling technique searchcustomerexperience.
While a few have rightly pointed that product selling is more transactionbased in nature while service selling is more relationship based, i would like to add from. This definition explains the meaning of solution selling and how the sales. Solution selling created new rules for onetoone selling of hardtosell items. Eighty percent of sales are lost because a salesperson fails to close. Solution selling has a salesperson or sales team use a sales process that is a. This new sales technique, which would become known as solution selling, had a radically different sales process than the most popular sales methodology of the time which was called product selling. Getting a lot of enterprise customers to pay for your solution on a repeated and longterm basis. The key components bundled with a solution sale generally consist of hardware, software, networking and storage technologies along with associated services.
The solution selling concept has grown considerably as key components of professional selling evolve. The term is associated with the sales of products and services that can be used as the building blocks of a custom implementation. It results in higher levels of customer satisfaction and increased sales productivity. This requires the sales team to focus on listening and excel at. While traditional solution selling is still dead, the changing b2b landscape has given rise to a new bestinbreed sales methodology.
A solution selling process is not the same as the traditional selling process because it does more than push a service or product. Conceptual selling is about convincing the customer to buy the concept a solution represents vs. Tier i, ii and iii software vendors are coming under increased pressure to increase revenue in a market that is seeing spending cuts. Solution selling paved the way for the consultative sales model, in use in many industries today. Choosing an ecommerce system for selling your licensed applications. A switch is a networking product to transfer data from a to b.
Slide 1 the introduction learning the new language of solutions selling. The sales process takes a potential client along six clearly defined phases with the aim to create a superior proposal, win the deal and minimise sales costs. Customers in an array of industries, from it to insurance to business process outsourcing, are often way ahead of the salespeople who are helping them. A solution selling process differs from a more traditional sales process because, instead of just pushing a product, the seller focuses on a specific issue or problem the customer faces and suggests corresponding services or products to solve that issue. What percentage of your sales teams time is spent on selling vs. The art of solution selling b2b the strongman process. Instead of probing the buyer with questions as per the traditional solution selling approach, sales professionals must come to the table prepared to be a proactive source of value for customers. If you arent positioning your organization as a consultative, solution selling resource you are falling behind. You can easily reframe your sales pitch to focus less on what your product does and more on how it can solve or alleviate an issue. Adopting the solution selling process for your business wont require an entire overhaul. He makes 60% of his decisionmaking process before approaching your reps. Our work with a wide variety of companies suggests that solutions selling does offer a considerable prize, but that it. Solution selling has a salesperson or sales team use a sales process that is a problemled rather than productled approach to determine if and how a change in a product could bring specific improvements that are desired by the customer.
Solution selling is finding ways you can make your customers lives better with your product. Products and product platforms are building blocks of the solution. Demonstrating conclusive proof and roi of the solution. How does knowing about the software sales process help the buyer exactly. Solution selling doesnt work, but theres a better way. Understanding the importance of not only being consultative, but leading customers through a process to help them achieve success begins with relevant content in the right place and time. You can use lucidchart to customize your sales cycle stages according to the services. I recommend reading the new solution selling by keith eades if you want to learn more about the sales process. Sales cycle demand prospect qualify develop solution proof.
The solution selling process is exactly what it sounds like. Just think of yourself as less of a salesperson and more of a consultant. The 3 biggest sales mistakes enterprise software companies. For example, a close early in the sales process may be to get an appointment to discuss your productservice, in that case you are selling an. The 7 stages of the solution selling process simplicable. Solution selling is common in areas such as construction services, software and outsourcing sales. Develop proficiency at solution selling a customerfocused approach to sales and learn why it is critical when selling large deals and sophisticated products and services. Focus on selling the solution, not products a product or service sale results from solving a problem. Enterpriseclass software development projects, technical integration projects, large plant.
Msf is not limited to developing applications only. The chapter includes a complete sales process overview of solution selling and discusses how some organizations are using the solution selling sales process. Solution selling the four essential steps of the solution selling. Those services can include upfront business and technical advisory services, technology implementation services, and postimplementation managed services and hosting. Which b2b sales methodology is right for you orocrm. The solution selling methodology isnt just for the sales team.
Solution selling abc stands for your company xyz stands for the type of solution your client is looking for prepared by. Today, the revolutionary yet practical solution selling method remains the primary selling process for salespeople competing in every industry around the world, and in every size of businessfrom the smallest firms to the largest fortune 500 corporations. This book was forwarded by kevin johnson, former microsoft group vice president of worldwide sales, and is an excellent read. Whats the difference between selling a product and.
Microsoft solution selling process mssp accelerator for. Over the past few decades, solution selling has become more broadly defined to include dimensions of. Also, i specially recommend this piece for anyone involved in consulting or saas markets, since the solution approach of the solution selling sales process fits really well into those contexts. I recommend the new solution selling to anyone involved in sales, both salesperson and sales managers.