Are You Selling a Service or Product?

All Products Really Provide a Service (read benefit)!

So, package your service as a product and use the same selling principles to guide you in your sales strategy.

YOUR Job is to help your customer understand that the solution to their problem is to own your product. (read service).

YOUR Challenge is …to create a visual in your customer’s mind so they can see your product as a solution despite the fact that it is intangible and invisible. You create that solution (customer perception) through the creative use of stories, analogies, and testimonials.

Sell Solutions, not time. And, structure your product (solution) with a pre-set result at a pre-set price. Then portray them using all the senses that you can (hear, see, smell, touch, and taste). And, don’t forget to use YOUR sense of sell.

Those who sell physical products have the easy route as far as demos go. In service selling, your product demonstrations should be created with tools such as conversations, speeches, audios, videos, writings, and books. Collect the most interesting and descriptive stories to demonstrate your solution (product). Make sure you differentiate YOUR products. Include a recognizable style or brand.

YOU and YOUR stories are many times part of the stories you will relate. So, you should understand the art of “Shameless Bragging”. That is, you must learn how to talk about yourself without shame and without appearing to be braggadocios or self-serving. This is yet another skill and a subject for a later post.

Because a service is not tangible, it will be different each time it is delivered. So, you must be specific about the benefits your customer will be receiving and you will need to perform more follow-up to insure that your customer still comprehends that they’ve received the perceived solution to their perceived problem. Be sure you don’t over-sell in your zeal to get new clients.

Buyer’s remorse is a bigger threat to un-happy clients because the solution may fade in their mind if you do not reinforce it through after-sale contact and regular marketing showing past satisfied customers.

Beware of “giving away” too much of your product (service) without compensation during the sales process. If you do, your inventory (your wisdom, experience, and advice) will be depleted and your customer will not have any need for you any longer. Therefore, package your service in manageable units and re-purpose your message in as many different medias as possible.

Don’t forget to think of your services as different products and create a menu of solutions for your unique talents that you offer.

Suggested Reading …

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

Learn More …

Another good exercise is the book: What You Know is Worth More Than You Know by Melanie Jordan.

And, you can experience regular selling ideas to expand on this subject with: SenseAble Selling coaching and training.