Articles – Maximize Top Line Revenue

Sell Never-Ending Success, Not Dead-End Pain Relief

I remember sales coaching advice from my early years, when the big “aha” moment was supposed to come when you looked your prospective client or customer in the eye and in a somber voice asked “What is keeping you up at night?” This was supposed to elicit their pain point, their big problem. You’d nod sagely and then assure them that you had just the pain reliever they needed.

This probably worked for a time and then it stopped working. Why? Two reasons:

Buyers figured if everyone was selling pain relief it was all the same and they could put pressure on price and get a deal.
Companies who sold pain relief found their sales growth was minuscule because selling pain relief walks you right into the dead-end of “one and done.” Get rid of my pain and I don’t need you anymore.

When you read or hear this advice even today, remind yourself that is it wrong. Not just wrong, but counterproductive to your company’s goal of increasing revenue and profit. Focusing on pain relief was and always will be a dead-end tactic.

Today and forever into the future you must offer never-ending success and value rather than dead-end pain relief if your company is to increase revenue in a meaningful way.

Never-ending success and value creates unlimited possibilities for your customers and clients so there is no dead-end for them or for your company.

My advice to executives and owners continues to be to learn what your buyers value in terms of positive results. This is what I call ‘generating success.’ Your buyer may want to make more money, permanently reduce current costs so they have more money for expansion, help their employees become super-stars in their company and with customers, or create an amazing new building, finance big dreams or put on terrific events. Your buyer may want to wow their stockholders and earn recognition for good works. No matter what industry your B2B company is in, the better your help your buyers achieve success as they define it, the better your own business will do.