Solution selling is a powerful methodology that focuses on aligning the sales process with the buyer's specific challenges and goals. It’s more than just showcasing a product—it's about presenting the product as the best possible solution to the customer’s specific problems.
Here I’ll explain the effective sales coaching exercise I’ve designed to improve your team’s solution selling skills, helping them to not only understand the product but also articulate its value through the eyes of the customer.
Table of contents
The importance of Solution Selling in sales coaching
The Solution Selling sales exercise
Conducting the Solution Selling exercise
Benefits of the Solution Selling exercise
Real-world impact: why Solution Selling matters
The importance of Solution Selling in sales coaching
Solution selling emphasizes a deep understanding of the customer's needs, challenges, and objectives. Unlike traditional sales methods that focus on product features and benefits, solution selling requires sales reps to dig deeper into the customer’s situation and tailor their pitch to address specific pain points.
Sales coaching, particularly when it focuses on solution selling, is essential for developing these skills. It helps sales reps move beyond merely knowing what a product does and towards understanding how it can genuinely benefit the customer. This approach ensures that sales conversations are meaningful, relevant, and effective.
The Solution Selling sales exercise
This exercise is particularly effective during onboarding or when a team member is struggling to deliver value-based presentations.
It’s a simple yet powerful exercise that helps reps learn to view the product through the eyes of the customer, which is the core of solution selling.
Preparation for the exercise
To conduct the Solution Selling exercise, you’ll need to prepare the following:
- Product and features card deck: Create a deck of cards, with each card representing a different product or product feature you offer. These cards will be used during the exercise to challenge the reps to think about how each feature addresses specific customer needs.
- Recorded discovery call: Select a high-quality call recording of a discovery call, or at least the discovery portion of a call, where the prospect’s challenges and goals are clearly outlined. Share this recording with your team a few days before the training session. Ask them to listen to the call and take notes on the prospect’s challenges and goals, which they will bring to the session.
Pro Tip: The better the discovery call, the richer the discussion during the exercise. Choose a call that offers plenty of insights into the prospect’s needs.
Conducting the Solution Selling exercise
The exercise typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour and can be done in a one-on-one setting or in small groups of five to six people. Group sessions are particularly beneficial because they allow team members to learn from each other’s approaches and perspectives.
Step 1: Review the discovery call
Start the session by discussing what was learned from the discovery call. Go around the room and have each participant share one key takeaway about the prospect’s goals and challenges. This step is crucial as it sets the foundation for the exercise. It also highlights how different people may interpret the same information differently, which can be a valuable learning experience.
If you're in the office, write these takeaways on a whiteboard. If the session is remote, share your screen and document them in a shared document. Ensure that everyone can see the list of insights gathered from the call.
Step 2: Solution Selling
Now, the fun begins. Each participant will take a turn drawing a card from the product and features deck. The challenge is for the participant to explain how the product or feature on their card can help the customer based on the insights gathered from the discovery call.
Role-playing tip: Encourage participants to present their explanation as if they are speaking directly to the customer. This not only helps them connect the dots between product features and customer needs but also builds confidence in articulating these connections in real sales scenarios.
Group interaction tip: After the participant has shared their explanation, open the floor to the rest of the group. Invite others to add their thoughts on how the feature could be positioned or to share alternative approaches. This collaborative discussion often uncovers diverse strategies and reinforces the idea that there are multiple ways to deliver value through solution selling.
Step 3: Repeat and Rotate
Continue the exercise, rotating through each participant until all cards have been used or all participants have had a chance to present. This repetition is key, especially for new sales reps, as it helps them internalize the knowledge and develop the habit of thinking critically about how each product feature can solve customer problems.
Benefits of the Solution Selling exercise
This exercise is particularly effective in helping sales reps:
- Build confidence: By repeatedly practicing how to connect product features with customer needs, reps become more confident in their ability to deliver value during sales calls.
- Enhance product knowledge: Reps learn the product not just as a set of features, but as a tool that can be adapted to meet the unique needs of different customers.
- Improve presentation skills: The exercise requires reps to articulate their ideas clearly and persuasively, skills that are directly transferable to their interactions with customers.
Real-world impact: why Solution Selling matters
According to a study by CSO Insights, a significant number of sales leaders feel their teams fall short in delivering exceptional buying experiences. Specifically, 57% of sales leaders believe their teams need to improve in understanding buyer needs, and 41% think their teams could do better at presenting solutions with value. Moreover, with less time available per sales opportunity, making every interaction count has never been more critical.
This Solution Selling exercise directly addresses these concerns by equipping your sales reps with the skills needed to understand and meet customer needs effectively. By integrating this exercise into your regular sales coaching routine, you’ll help your team deliver more personalized and impactful sales presentations, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and stronger customer relationships.
Sales coaching is an ongoing process that requires the right tools and exercises to be truly effective. The solution selling exercise is a simple yet powerful way to help your sales team learn to present your product in a way that resonates with prospects. By focusing on customer needs and aligning them with the right product features, your reps can create more compelling value propositions, leading to more successful sales outcomes.
Incorporate this exercise into your coaching sessions and watch as your team’s confidence, product knowledge, and sales performance improve. In today’s competitive sales environment, mastering the art of solution selling can be the difference between a lost deal and a long-term customer relationship.
Wanting some more on sales techniques? Check out our fundamental guide.
Shelley Lavery is the CRO and Co-Founder of Jiminny, the leading conversation intelligence and sales coaching platform that helps companies maximize their revenue. With over a decade of experience in coaching B2B sales teams, Shelley was previously Group SVP of Sales at Reward Gateway now leading the conversation intelligence discussion with expertise and insight.
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