Solution Selling is a client-focused sales process that helps salespeople identify a buyer's business problem and lead the buyer to conclude that the salesperson's solution will solve that problem. It involves direct contact with prospective buyers and uses tools and techniques to align selling activities with the buyer's purchasing process. Using Solution Selling can increase win rates and revenues by improving opportunity qualification and targeting, having more consultative dialogues, and demonstrating value. It can also reduce costs by shortening sales cycles and improving forecasting accuracy. The process benefits salespeople, marketing professionals, sales support specialists, and sales managers.

1. SOLUTION SELLING®
creating buyers in difficult selling markets
The Challenge
Shipley Organisations have a need to buy things, but hate to feel "sold to". They have had
unpleasant experiences with sellers where they have come away feeling taken
advantage of, manipulated or coerced into doing something they really didn't want to
do.
The Solution
Solution Selling® is a client-focused sales process in which the selling activities
involve direct contact with prospective buyers. The intent of Solution Selling for Sales
Execution™ is to help salespeople identify a prospective buyer’s business problem
within an opportunity and lead the buyer to self-conclusion of how they can solve the
problem utilizing the salesperson’s capabilities and the value of doing so - thus
leading to a “solution”. Solution Selling® is a collection of methods that includes
tools, job aids, techniques, and procedures that help salespeople and team
members align their selling activities to the steps of a buyer/buying organization’s
process.
To sell effectively, sellers
must know about their The Benefits
customer’s business
(situation knowledge), the Increase win odds and sales revenues by:
capabilities they can offer
! Improving opportunity qualification and disqualification
(capability knowledge) and
have appropriate people and ! Improving prospect targeting and messaging during business development
selling skills.
having more consultative dialogue with prospective buyers
Solution Selling® helps sellers
to develop and integrate that ! Demonstrating quantifiable value of the organization’s offerings
knowledge and those skills.
! Increasing the chances of winning competitive opportunities
! More effectively negotiating during and at the close of an opportunity
! Using job aids that help salespeople align with buyers and improve the quality of
information exchange at all stages of a sell cycle
Reduce cost of sale by:
! Shortening sales cycles through maintaining control over opportunities
Registered Address Abbey Manor Business Centre, Preston Road, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 2EN • Website www.shipleywins.co.uk

2. Shipley
! Shortening sales cycles by gaining faster access to power increasing the
efficiency in the use of company resources
Improve forecasting by:
! Improving opportunity qualification and disqualification
! Establishing win odds associated with reaching sales process milestones
! Consistently grading the status of opportunities in the pipeline based on buyer
actions
The Audience
! Salespeople (account managers, consultants, etc.) - Solution Selling®
provides value to anyone in the sales role regardless of their opportunity type
or what they are selling.
All customer-facing staff can ! Marketing professionals - By understanding Solution Selling®, they can
benefit from working together equip their organization’s salespeople with the right messages for the right
with a client focused sales
buyers at the right time, and in turn, achieve their own marketing objectives
process.
more easily.
! Sales support specialists - Although they may not be responsible for closing
sales opportunities, sales support specialists play a key role in winning many
complex sales campaigns. These professionals can benefit from understanding
how they can apply the Solution Selling methodology, which will result in their
own improved performance.
! Sales management - These first and second line managers should be
included in the sales training to show commitment to the implementation but
more importantly to become knowledgeable in the aspects of Solution
Selling®, the process and job aids that they will need to which they will
manage, inspect and coach.
Sales Management
Territory Planning
Account Planning & Management
Strategic Opportunity Planning
Selling to Executives
Sales Execution
The Solution Selling Suite of offerings. Helps sellers, sales managers and executives
improve sales performance, with tailored offerings at each level.
Registered Address Abbey Manor Business Centre, Preston Road, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 2EN • Website www.shipleywins.co.uk