MoneyWatch

Beyond Solution Selling.

By Geoffrey James

Updated on: October 31, 2007 / 12:17 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

Want to sell B2B at the highest level? Want to get sell Manager-to-Manager (M2M) in the executive suite rather than groveling in the bit bucket with the drones in the purchasing department? Then you're going to have move beyond the old "product selling" and "solution selling" processes. And that means changing your attitudes and beliefs about sales.

I recently asked the man who literally WROTE THE BOOK Solution Selling what it takes to be successful in sales in the information overload age. The man, of course, is the brilliant Mike Bosworth, whose new book, CustomerCentric Selling, is worlds beyond the original concept of Solution Selling.

To be accurate, Mike still uses the "solution" word. A lot. I differ with him there, because I think that the term "solution" has been diluted to the point where its meaningless. That being said, when I listen to Mike talk about centering sales around the customer, it's clear to me that he's worlds beyond what most people think about simply selling solutions. Here's what he told me:

Rule #1. Change what you're selling from a "noun" into a "verb." For example, if you're selling for a company that makes industrial glue, rather than thinking your job is "selling glue" (a noun) think of it as "selling gluing" (a verb).
Rule #2. Thinking of your job as helping rather than selling. Drop the idea that your job is "convincing," "persuading," and "overcoming objections." Instead, think of your job as helping customer visualize how their job will be easier with you and your firm on the scene.
Rule #3. Consider a sales call successful when you disqualify a prospect. Rather than adopting a dogged determination to make the sale, you should make it clear to the customer that you're more than happy to leave if your firm can't actually help.
Rule #4. Communicate with the customer primarily through questions. The best way to move a prospect towards becoming a customer is to ask intelligent questions that the prospect is capable of answering.

As I see it, Mike is describing the behavior that takes place when a manager meets another manager inside the company in order to work some internal issue. The first question is "what can I do for you?" followed by a question and answer discussion about some function of the company and how it can be managed more effectively.

It's that kind of peer-to-peer behavior, when conducted between a sales rep and customer, both of whom who are of equal status and importance, that I'm calling "M2M Selling."