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The New Solution Selling
Book

The New Solution Selling

The Revolutionary Sales Process that Is Changing the Way People Sell

Keith M. Eades
McGraw-Hill, 2004
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

This is a useful guide to one of the hottest subjects in sales: selling solutions, not products. Author Keith M. Eades offers a methodical, step-by-step approach to implementing a conversational approach to selling. The principles underlying "solution selling" are simple and straightforward, and the process is hard to fault, although it demands a great deal of record keeping and charting. The author’s explanation of the procedures gets a bit mechanical and jargon-riddled at times. But on the whole, getAbstract believes every salesperson is apt to find something of value in this book, even if it’s a reminder of what once was known but has been forgotten.

Summary

What is a Solution?

A solution solves a problem, or at least measurably improves it. The word measurable implies that there must be a "before" and an "after" separated by a point of change – the implementation of the solution.

"Solution selling" is a way of thinking and behaving that focuses on customers and their problems instead of on the sales organization and its products. Some salespeople do this naturally, but not the majority.

Generally, salespeople fall into two categories:

1. Eagles

These salespeople have good intuition and the ability to ask questions and converse. They make up 20% of the total population of salespeople.

2. Journeypeople

The other 80% of salespeople, who do not have these talents and abilities, rely on canned presentations and pitches, and on telling instead of asking.

Buyers also fall into two categories. Innovators and early adopters account for 20% of buyers. Pragmatic, conservative and late adopting people account for 80% of buyers.

Therefore, simple multiplication shows you that:

  • 4% of the time, eagles meet early adopters.
  • 16% of the time, eagles meet pragmatic, conservative...

About the Author

Keith M. Eades is the founder and president of Sales Performance International (SPI) and of Solution Selling, Inc.

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