Why You are Always Selling A Solution

No matter what business you are in, you are selling something. Why will people buy from you? Basically, because you have something they want or they have something to gain by doing business with you. People want to buy solutions to problems. No matter what you sell, you have competitors.

So what compels people to choose you? Two things: uniqueness and benefits.

Uniqueness
What makes your business unique? Determine your business’s uniqueness by asking yourself questions such as:
• "What do customers praise most when they e-mail, write, or talk to us?"
• "How do employees, customers, suppliers, and friends describe what we do?"
• "What do we offer that our competitors can’t?"
• "What problems does my product or service solve?"
• "If my mother-in-law were buying a service like mine, what would she look for?"

Then ask your customers questions like these:
• "How would you describe our product to your friends?"
• "What would you say to recommend our service?"
• "What made you choose our service?"
• "What do we do that you haven’t found at other similar companies?"
• "How can we improve our service or product line?"
• "Why do you visit our store/place of business often?"

As you compile and ponder this information and do some on-going market research, it will become clearer to you what makes your business unique. Position your marketing to deliver that message—a message that answers the customer’s basic question, "What’s in it for me?" Get very specific so that people who hear or read about what you offer will know what problem you will solve and the benefits of doing business with you.

When you have decided what makes your business unique, make up a catchy slogan of four to nine words that paints a picture of your business. For example, an accountant might say, “We do numbers right!” Be creative; add a dash of humor. Describe in a few words what makes you different from your competitors in terms of size, customer-service policies, employees, mission, speed, cost, or time. This “picture” of your business makes it easy for current customers to refer you to others.

Benefits
Whatever you are selling, benefits are what your customers are buying. What benefits do your customers get from you? Business owners often make the mistake of selling features rather than benefits. In a market where many companies sell similar products or services, the customer wants to know what benefits you offer.

For example, when you buy a car you know that all cars will provide you with transportation. However, you select a particular car because of its benefits, such as one that fits your budget, your climate, and your self-image. Here are a few more examples of the difference between selling features and benefits:

Feature: 24-hour grocery store. Benefit: It allows you to buy food at your convenience.
Feature: Airbags. Benefit: It protects you and passengers in case of an accident.
Feature: Accounting services. Benefit: It helps you sleep better, knowing that your books balance.

Which benefits are your customers buying? Often the most direct way to find out is simply to ask them. You may think you are offering certain benefits, but do your customers think so, too? Find out by giving them a simple questionnaire and asking them:

1. List what you like about our product or service.
2. What is the single most important reason you buy our product or service?
3. What convinced you to buy our product or service instead of a competing one?

No matter what business you are in, you are selling something. Why will people buy from you? Basically, because you have something they want or they have something to gain by doing business with you. People want to buy solutions to problems. No matter what you sell, you have competitors.

So what compels people to choose you? Two things: uniqueness and benefits.

Uniqueness
What makes your business unique? Determine your business’s uniqueness by asking yourself questions such as:
• "What do customers praise most when they e-mail, write, or talk to us?"
• "How do employees, customers, suppliers, and friends describe what we do?"
• "What do we offer that our competitors can’t?"
• "What problems does my product or service solve?"
• "If my mother-in-law were buying a service like mine, what would she look for?"

Then ask your customers questions like these:
• "How would you describe our product to your friends?"
• "What would you say to recommend our service?"
• "What made you choose our service?"
• "What do we do that you haven’t found at other similar companies?"
• "How can we improve our service or product line?"
• "Why do you visit our store/place of business often?"

As you compile and ponder this information and do some on-going market research, it will become clearer to you what makes your business unique. Position your marketing to deliver that message—a message that answers the customer’s basic question, "What’s in it for me?" Get very specific so that people who hear or read about what you offer will know what problem you will solve and the benefits of doing business with you.

When you have decided what makes your business unique, make up a catchy slogan of four to nine words that paints a picture of your business. For example, an accountant might say, “We do numbers right!” Be creative; add a dash of humor. Describe in a few words what makes you different from your competitors in terms of size, customer-service policies, employees, mission, speed, cost, or time. This “picture” of your business makes it easy for current customers to refer you to others.

Benefits
Whatever you are selling, benefits are what your customers are buying. What benefits do your customers get from you? Business owners often make the mistake of selling features rather than benefits. In a market where many companies sell similar products or services, the customer wants to know what benefits you offer.

For example, when you buy a car you know that all cars will provide you with transportation. However, you select a particular car because of its benefits, such as one that fits your budget, your climate, and your self-image. Here are a few more examples of the difference between selling features and benefits:

Feature: 24-hour grocery store. Benefit: It allows you to buy food at your convenience.
Feature: Airbags. Benefit: It protects you and passengers in case of an accident.
Feature: Accounting services. Benefit: It helps you sleep better, knowing that your books balance.

Which benefits are your customers buying? Often the most direct way to find out is simply to ask them. You may think you are offering certain benefits, but do your customers think so, too? Find out by giving them a simple questionnaire and asking them:

1. List what you like about our product or service.
2. What is the single most important reason you buy our product or service?
3. What convinced you to buy our product or service instead of a competing one?

Then ask these same questions of your best customers and continue asking “What else?” until you uncover the real reason they keep coming back. Build your business around that.

Remember: Since others have similar products/services to yours, your primary product is actually how well and how consistently you reward a customer’s confidence in you.
To grow your business, know what makes you unique and what customers perceive as the benefits of doing business with you. And keep delivering those benefits.
Copyright©2005Susan Urquhart-Brown All Rights Reserved.