Creating Integrated Solutions

Too often, what companies refer to as solutions are little more than additional products sold though the same channel. True Solutions SM address real customer issues and enable you to help them capitalize on opportunities.
Purpose:

A True Solution SM completely addresses a problem or capitalizes on an opportunity. Too often, the offers that companies refer to as “solutions” fail to meet this criterion. Most often, these solutions either are pseudo-solutions that do not fully address the challenge or opportunity, leaving the customer to fill the gaps. But even if it does fully solve the problem, the customer has to make a large purchase decision which results in over-extended or delayed sales cycles. True Solutions SM are organized into a journey that holistically addresses the opportunity, while also de-risking the journey for both you and your customer. By implementing this strategy, you can unlock the full value for both you and the customer and enhance your ability to lead customers to your products and services.

Service Chains SM are the tools used to develop True Solutions SM. A Service Chain SM is a pre-planned set of offerings that have an entry offering with linkages and methods that pull-through the other offerings. Service chains formalize implied value propositions by providing a framework to aid in the transformation from an opportunistic selling approach to a pre-planned, deliberate selling approach that delivers to clients the total value proposition offered by your company.

Benefits: By deploying integrated solutions that fully address a customer’s problem or challenge, you are able to:
  • Generate greater revenue and profit margin
  • Serve as a true advisor to your key customers
  • Develop a comprehensive, long-term account journeys that provide opportunity for increased intimacy
  • Pull through additional products and services
Critical Success Factors:

Deploying integrated solutions requires a structure of designing solutions that merge components of “whether to act” and “how to act” decisions rather than merely emphasizing “with whom the customer will act”. This structure must examine how the idea will be evaluated, undertaken, and implemented in a customer journey. It also requires interplay between sales, marketing, products, and professional services in the organization.

Tools:

Service Chains SM, Executive Buying Mindset, Solution Lifecycle, Offer Development Process