The End of
Harvard Business Review
Solution Sales
For the course of SALES
MANAGEMENT
Presentation By:
Sana Sadiq
Faiza Hammad
Shah Rukh
Noman Ameen
Who is a “Solution Sales Rep”?

Sales people trained to align
a solution with an
acknowledged customer
need & demonstrate why is it
better than competitor
Traditional Solution Selling procedure

Identify Customer who recognize a
problem that supplier can solve and
gives priority to those who are ready
to act

Ask Questions and find a HOOK and
nurture
some body in the
organization who can act as their
advocate or coach and help him to
derive and close the deal
Strategies Opted by STAR reps
Reps must learn to engage customers much earlier well before
Customers fully understand their own needs

Boosting the performance of average sales people is not a matter
of improving HOW THEY CURRENTLY SELL, it involves altogether
changing HOW THEY SELL
Strategy # 01: AVOID THE TRAP OF ESTABLISHED DEMAND

Traditional way :
• Need for change
• Clear vision
• Established purchasing decision

Non traditional way:
• Put premium on customer agility
• Emphasis on potential to change or unestablished need
Strategy # 01: AVOID THE TRAP OF ESTABLISHED DEMAND

•

Star performer knew that the way in was to try
to meet the customer existing need but to
reshape them or redefine them….

•

Instead of using conventional solution sale
approach…

He use an “ INSIGHT SELLING” approach………
A new selling Guide for Reps…
Training of average rep into star performer
Training of average rep into star performer
Strategy # 02: Target MOBILIZERS not ADVOCATES

• Conventional Sales methodology

• List of Attributes Ideal Advocate
• Avg. Reps target TALKERS (Guides,
Friends & Climbers)…. WHY??
• Star reps pursue  MOBILIZERS (Gogetters, Teachers, Skeptics)… WHY?
7 Identified Profiles: Finding the right Aligns
Strategy # 03: Coach Customers on How to Buy

• Most reps rely on a customer to coach
them through a sale but a star rep
coach the customer
• Your overarching strategy is to provide
insight rather than extract it.
How to upend your customers
Ask customer what they think of your product
or services
Concluding Notes

•

In recent decades sales reps have become adept at discovering
customers' needs and selling them "solutions." This worked because
customers didn't know how to solve their own problems. The star reps
look for different sorts of organizations, targeting ones with emerging
rather than established demand. Instead of waiting for the customer to
identify a problem the supplier can solve, they engage early on and
offer provocative ideas about what the customer should do. They seek
out a different set of stakeholders, preferring skeptical change agents
over friendly informants, and they coach those change agents on how
to buy. High-performing reps are still selling solutions--but more
broadly, they're selling insights.
How to upend your customers way of Thinking

Thank You 

Sales management end of solution selling- Presentation on Harvard Business press case study on "End of Solution selling"

  • 1.
    The End of HarvardBusiness Review Solution Sales For the course of SALES MANAGEMENT Presentation By: Sana Sadiq Faiza Hammad Shah Rukh Noman Ameen
  • 2.
    Who is a“Solution Sales Rep”? Sales people trained to align a solution with an acknowledged customer need & demonstrate why is it better than competitor
  • 3.
    Traditional Solution Sellingprocedure Identify Customer who recognize a problem that supplier can solve and gives priority to those who are ready to act Ask Questions and find a HOOK and nurture some body in the organization who can act as their advocate or coach and help him to derive and close the deal
  • 4.
    Strategies Opted bySTAR reps Reps must learn to engage customers much earlier well before Customers fully understand their own needs Boosting the performance of average sales people is not a matter of improving HOW THEY CURRENTLY SELL, it involves altogether changing HOW THEY SELL
  • 5.
    Strategy # 01:AVOID THE TRAP OF ESTABLISHED DEMAND Traditional way : • Need for change • Clear vision • Established purchasing decision Non traditional way: • Put premium on customer agility • Emphasis on potential to change or unestablished need
  • 6.
    Strategy # 01:AVOID THE TRAP OF ESTABLISHED DEMAND • Star performer knew that the way in was to try to meet the customer existing need but to reshape them or redefine them…. • Instead of using conventional solution sale approach… He use an “ INSIGHT SELLING” approach………
  • 7.
    A new sellingGuide for Reps…
  • 8.
    Training of averagerep into star performer
  • 9.
    Training of averagerep into star performer
  • 10.
    Strategy # 02:Target MOBILIZERS not ADVOCATES • Conventional Sales methodology • List of Attributes Ideal Advocate • Avg. Reps target TALKERS (Guides, Friends & Climbers)…. WHY?? • Star reps pursue  MOBILIZERS (Gogetters, Teachers, Skeptics)… WHY?
  • 11.
    7 Identified Profiles:Finding the right Aligns
  • 12.
    Strategy # 03:Coach Customers on How to Buy • Most reps rely on a customer to coach them through a sale but a star rep coach the customer • Your overarching strategy is to provide insight rather than extract it.
  • 13.
    How to upendyour customers
  • 14.
    Ask customer whatthey think of your product or services
  • 15.
    Concluding Notes • In recentdecades sales reps have become adept at discovering customers' needs and selling them "solutions." This worked because customers didn't know how to solve their own problems. The star reps look for different sorts of organizations, targeting ones with emerging rather than established demand. Instead of waiting for the customer to identify a problem the supplier can solve, they engage early on and offer provocative ideas about what the customer should do. They seek out a different set of stakeholders, preferring skeptical change agents over friendly informants, and they coach those change agents on how to buy. High-performing reps are still selling solutions--but more broadly, they're selling insights.
  • 16.
    How to upendyour customers way of Thinking Thank You 