The old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. The parallel in the sales world is that you can show a prospect the solution for their problem, but you can't make them take it. Instead, you've got to do something much more powerful.
Avoid showing your prospect the solution. It's much more powerful if you let them discover the solution.
Your prospect needs to discover for themselves whether or not you're the solution they need. Even if you believe you can help them, you can't force it on them.
You have to take them through a discovery process. Listen to their pain, then respond with questions.
Naturally, you need to provide the right information at the right time. But you also need to not provide extraneous information at the wrong time. It's really all about creating an environment where they can discover the solution for themselves.
There's a lot that goes into that!
You've got to make them feel comfortable. You've got to let them know that it's not about pressure or manipulation. You've got to subtly convey that it's not about you convincing them of something.
Those are all things that turn people off!
Nobody wants to be convinced. Nobody wants to be manipulated. Nobody really even wants to be shown what the solution is. They really want to discover it.
So the next time you're meeting with a prospect, and a solution jumps out to you, don't just blurt it out. Take the time to let them discover the solution on their own.
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