What Is Solution Selling? Pros, Cons, and Tips for Entrepreneurs (2024)

A realtor might say, “This apartment is going to be perfect! It’s got all the bells and whistles, and it’s near the best clubs in town. You’d better jump on this offer— at this price, you’re not going to get better!” While this sounds appealing, it doesn’t consider the needs of a family of five looking for a suitable home.

This type of sales approach is common, with professionals using tactics to push products, often without regard for whether they truly meet the customer’s needs. 

Solution selling turns this strategy on its head, by putting the customer first. Learn about how solutions selling works, and how you can use it to grow your business.

What is solution selling?

Solution selling is a holistic sales methodology that focuses on evaluating potential solutions for customer pain points instead of pushing a product or service regardless of what the consumer needs. This sales strategy requires a deep understanding of product features. Sales and marketing teams must take the time to understand a customer’s problems, and advocate for the product that best suits them. 

You can use solution selling in almost any industry, but this method is particularly valuable for companies:

• Offering solutions to complex problems
• Offering high-value services
• Selling big ticket items that require customers to do research

Think of businesses that offer products where one size doesn’t fit all, or where specialized knowledge can help the customer make the right decision. For example, customizable HR software, business-to-business (B2B) firms vying for large contracts, or specialized skin treatments for different conditions.

For an ecommerce company where sales personnel don’t typically interact with customers, solution selling can include tactics like: 

• Giving personalized product recommendations based on search history and keyword use.
• Using quizzes and surveys to understand personal needs more thoroughly.
• Having knowledgeable customer service staff that can answer user queries in detail.

Product selling vs. solution selling

Although they are both conventional sales techniques, product selling and solution selling differ greatly in approach:

Product selling

As the name suggests, product selling means deciding on the product (or service) first and then finding ways to market it to your customers. 

Let’s say you run a beauty brand and have recently released a new shade of lipstick you’re keen to promote. Whether your customers come in looking for a bold lip, a nude shade, or even a tube of mascara, using product-selling techniques means you’ll encourage them to check out the color you want them to buy. This can be a high-pressure selling tactic, whether done in person or online. 

Solution selling

By contrast, solution selling focuses on building trust-based relationships with your customers. This is a form of consultative selling, a tactic that encourages sales reps to actively listen to the needs of the client and add real value to the transaction.

In the lipstick example, a customer may come in looking for a subtle pink lipstick and tell your sales rep that they’re prone to dry lips. Based on this information, your rep may suggest a hydrating lipstick, or demonstrate how adding a layer of balm before applying the shade can prevent cracked lips. 

Pros of solution selling

Picking the most effective selling methodology for your business is an ongoing journey. Here are some benefits of using a solution-oriented sales strategy:

Lasting customer relationships

The personalized nature of the solution-selling process is more likely to foster lasting consumer relationships because you are looking to serve each customer’s long-term vision. When clients see that you’re listening to their problems and genuinely trying to find solutions, they are more inclined to trust your products, be loyal to your brand, and become repeat customers. 

Tailored experiences 

Leading the buying process with an understanding of each prospect’s pain points allows you to holistically tailor your product or service to their needs. The more questions you ask to clarify the issue, the better you can exceed buyer’s expectations by providing an ideal solution that was specifically created for their individual scenario.

Cons of solution selling

A solution-selling strategy may not always work for your business. Here are a couple of drawbacks to be aware of:

Longer sales cycles

Because you’re taking time to build trust with your customer, solution selling is often a much longer sales process than traditional selling. After you have become well-acquainted with customers, it can take an extended period of time to evaluate pain points and extract valuable insights that will lead to the right solution. 

Increased training time

To implement a solution-selling strategy, you need to first train sales reps to ask the right questions, actively listen to your customers, and have an in-depth knowledge of your product specs. This can require implementing numerous sales training protocols, which increases the responsibilities of sales managers. If you have limited bandwidth for sales enablement and creating new processes, this may be a tall order for your business. 

How to implement a solution-selling methodology

1. Get to know potential customers
2. Understand your products
3. Present your product’s value proposition
4. Close the sale and follow up

Solution sales techniques take a similar approach regardless of your industry, target audience, and specific product or service. Here’s a step-by-step system you can use to start implementing the solution-selling methodology, plus a few real-world examples to illustrate these tactics in action:

1. Get to know your potential customers

Selling solutions is all about getting to know your customers. For online sales, it’s important to gather as much data as you can on your customers and understand what they’re looking for. For example, you can conduct keyword research to understand how they find your products or services. 

Cocofloss is a dental hygiene company that centers its user experience around tailored dental subscriptions. Potential buyers are given a quiz that starts with questions about their age, dental history, and preferred flavor. As they continue, questions are tailored to specific preferences, ensuring each client is recommended a product that works for them. 

If you’re meeting clients face to face, it may be helpful to do some research first. For example, learn about the specific climate of an area before meeting your customer for a landscaping project, or learn about the market landscape of an ice cream parlor before you sell them a shipping solution. Based on this research, you can create a list of solution-selling questions so you can get on the same page quickly. 

2. Understand your products

Once you have a full picture of your customer and their needs, the next step is knowing your products inside-out to avoid simply repeating a canned sales pitch. 

Suppose your company offers personalized design consulting services. To sell them effectively, your teams need to know the details of each package, the different kinds of design solutions you offer, and what your limitations are. For example, your firm may be able to design logos and merch, but they cannot help with printing and manufacturing. Knowing your limitations is just as valuable as knowing your strengths, so you can avoid overpromising and under-delivering. 

3. Present your product’s value proposition

Providing undeniable value to your customer is a key stage in the solution-selling process. Whether in product descriptions or face-to-face meetings, clearly define how relevant aspects of your product can alleviate pain points. 

Avoid simply stating features, and instead frame your value in terms of return on investment (ROI) and the amount of money or time they can expect to save. Make use of customer testimonials; if a previous customer had similar issues and found great success, share how beneficial your services were and why they are the ideal solution for their needs. 

Pot Gang, a service that helps novice gardeners learn how to grow fruits and vegetables at home, uses a mix of personal anecdotes from previous clients. The brand also leans on its strong pool of five-star reviews to demonstrate how it helps customers. These personal success stories speak to specific scenarios and ways the brand and its products have assisted others in learning to garden at home. 

4. Close the sale and follow up

When it becomes clear that your product and the client’s needs align, it’s time to close the entire sales process. Ensure that you and your client are clearly aligned on expectations and that this is the best move for both parties. Once the deal has been made, send a post-purchase email to the customer to see how things are going, and ask if there are ways in which you can offer further assistance.