7 Steps to Selling Your Services as Solutions

You're not just sales professionals, you're problem solvers. So start selling solutions.

At its core, the very nature of your business be it tutoring, dog-walking, housekeeping,

or providing senior or child care is to deliver life-altering solutions to people in need.

And you should market it as such.

The trick is to do a really good job showing people how you can really help.

1. Align Your Sales Pitch with Everyday Issues

You sell software, but what is it that you really do? You provide a level of service

that customers are likely unable to provide themselves. You really help struggling

ACO’s improve their scores and establish analytical foundations they'll need year-

round. The more closely you can align your messaging to issues real people deal

with every day, the better positioned you'll be to bring in new business.

2. Explain How You Make Life Easier

Say your day care is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Don't just post the hours, spell

out that you're staffed for drop-offs during the morning commute and pickups

after the workday is done. Clearly, this is incredibly helpful. But it also defines

your brand. Use this to attract customers. By establishing the solution your

services provide and the benefit of that solution, you identify your USP unique

selling proposition that will sets you apart from other providers and establish

their reputation.

3. Brand Your Business as a Problem Solver

When a customer starts looking to purchase software solutions, what they're

really doing is looking for help with a particular problem. They're going to be

entrusting someone with one of the most personal aspects of their lives that’s why

it’s important for you to establish your brands as trustworthy problem

solvers.This branding should be central to, and consistent across, all promotional

platforms, such as websites, blogs, social media and traditional marketing

materials. So think about what problem your company is best at solving (or what

you see as a repetitive need in many of your customers) and start marketing

yourself as the solution to that problem.

4. Pitch Yourself as an Expert

Effective marketing means more than just name recognition. Great sales

professionals build a personal brand through social media and having an online

presence. Sharing content online allows care providers to establish credibility

much faster through blog posts and syndicated material on social media, she

says. This exposure not only gets your name out there, but provides an

opportunity to add a personal touch and showcase your passion, practices and

expertise.

5. Collect Success Stories

Don't expect new customers will just take your word for it. When you've helped a

struggling group achieve a top grade or helped a hospital train their 1200

physicians ask if you can share their story. Collect these personal accounts and

post them to your website as testimonials and referrals.

6. Spread the Word

As veterans of the field can attest, establishing a successful book of business is

not an if-you-build-it-they-will-come proposition. It takes a lot of hard work to

get any product off the ground. And a sometimes uncomfortable aspect of that

work is self-promotion. When it comes to getting the word out, look at all of the

options -- especially the free ones -- you have available to you and then use them.

Try Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr just to name a few.

7. Have Fun With It

Remember, one of the best parts of building a personal brand is being able to

show that there’s a person behind this business. As cliché as it sounds; behind

every sale, there is a person. Dive into their shoes, their needs, their wants and

sell those specific desires in a comprehensive easy to read way. People love to buy

and hate to be sold. Have fun with your marketing efforts -- don't be afraid to

show a bit of your personality and share your story as a sales professional. The

personal touch is especially important in sales because, at the end of the day,

your customers will want to establish a level of comfort and trust with whomever

they choose to let into their organization.