Selling by Solutions

Even though most companies claim to put customers at the center of the business, few do.

Too often we look at customers using an “inside-out” perspective — namely by asking what products can we sell them. Instead, Gulati says, we need an “outside-in” view that asks what problems can we solve for them. Take, for example, bagged salad. With our traditional inside-out view of market research, we ask customers about what they like or don’t like about a particular product, say lettuce. How much would you pay for it? Where do you prefer to buy it? But we don’t ask the basic outside-in questions, such as, how does the making and consumption of salad relate to your busy lifestyle? If you asked THAT question at the right time, the answer would have been, “I wish I did eat more salad, but I’m too busy to make them.” And you would have been shown the need for a new market in ready-made bagged salad, which today in the US is a $2.5 billion business. “Answers like that one are almost impossible to uncover when the inquiry is inside-out — when the questions start with the product and then moves to the customer,” Gulati writes. Outside-in companies such as Fresh Express (the bagged salad company) and Best Buy (which redesigned stores to appeal to women) are not only more profitable, they are more likely to do well in a downturn. Describing a four-step process that companies follow to get to outside-in, Gulati says the real moment of power comes in step 3, when companies stop pushing products and instead solve customer problems. Now consider the Outside-in approach for your products and services, does it offer a whole new and fresh way to promote them? Problem solving, solution finding has always been at the heart of selling, sometimes we just need a nice little reminder. Story published by BNET, Sean Silverthorne – The go to place for management. Ranjay Gulati a Harvard Business School professor has written a new book on customer focus Reorganize for Resilience. Eagle Technologies Ltd is an international wholesaler and manufacturer of Card ID Printers/Systems, consumables, plastic cards and general badge accessories. Eagle Technologies Ltd is located in the UK, Europe and USA and specialise in providing superior product and support via value add resellers, system integrators and ID Agents.  www.EagleTechnologies.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1344 303 700 Now over 228 members…. Join The Community for ID Card Professionals, and start benefiting from new contacts, ideas and general industry chat today. >>>   Follow Eagle on... http://www.twitter.com/Eagle_ID http://www.facebook.com/EagleTechnologies    ·

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