Never Trust A Company That Uses The Word Solutions
That statement sounds a tad extreme, doesn't it? Solutions, aren't they a positive thing?
Well, naturally. Solving problems is the engine that drives business. If there was no need for a solution, if there was no problem to solve, then no one would buy any product or service.
But that's not what the statement says. The statement says not to trust a company that uses the word solutions. That's the key right there. Because a business that uses the term solutions is demonstrating a deep misunderstanding of how to satisfy a client.
Satisfaction
Let's imagine for a moment that we are the client.
We want to believe that we are making a wonderful purchase, we want to walk away humming and congratulating ourselves. Most of all we want that feeling of satisfaction that we get when a problem is elegantly solved.
What is it that gives us that feeling of satisfaction? And why are solutions not the real answer?
5-across: Answer to a problem (8)
Think of a crossword puzzle. You get a humdinger of a clue that really taxes your brain. The desire to get that answer can be intense. A tension is created because for the time the clue is unsolved, the world is out of kilter. Not the real world, your world. It's there, that solution. You know it is.
Suddenly the solution falls clunk into your mind. You write the answer down with an actual swell of pride, an intense feeling of satisfaction.
That satisfaction we feel is not as a result of finding the solution but of solving the problem. Of making it right. Without the problem, without the clue, the solution is simply meaningless.
The tension set up by the problem determines the degree of satisfaction. Would you feel as satisfied by looking up the answer in the back of the book?
The solution doesn't do the trick
As humans we are wired to solve problems. We are drawn to solve problems. We simply must release that tension.
The truth is that while we feel the need to solve a problem we don't always know what the problem is. I want to buy Product X or Service Y but I haven't articulated to myself in any detailed way what the problem is that I have the need to solve.
All I know is that I have a basic need for this thing, I don't know everything about it, there's a lot of competing information floating around and can you please help me sort this out?
When somebody clearly and elegantly articulates the problem, it excites us and compels us because the opportunity to release the tension is actually inherent in that clearly-stated problem.
The clearer it is articulated the closer you are to resolution.
It's all about... who?
When a business says that it has solutions it doesn't register on my radar. I'm not at all interested in solutions, I'm interested in solving the problem. It's not the same thing.
The irony is that the business probably thinks that by advertising solutions it is placing me first when in fact it is doing the exact opposite.
Why? Because, if pressed, I'm thinking this: Sorry Mr and Mrs Supplier but I'm not here to match my problem to your solution.
The negative connotations and associations begin to pile up:
You won't listen to me. You'll bully me into the sale. You'll be arrogant. You'll make me look a fool. Obviously you are going to force me into one of your predesigned solutions here. And that won't do me any good but it will certainly improve your bank balance.
Give 'em what they want
So the conclusion here actually runs counter to our intuition and logic. The solution that you are providing is the answer to a problem, not an end in itself. Articulate that problem. That means putting yourself in the client's shoes and identifying the problem that your business, product or service is there to solve.
Look at yourself honestly: Are you caught up in selling solutions or are you really helping your clients to solve problems?
The confession
The truth is that the opening statement is a little over the top. Just because a company uses the word solutions doesn't mean they should be banished to the frozen reaches of Siberia.
They're just doing their best, like all of us.
Anyway, there's really no point in warning you to never trust a company that uses the word solutions...
The chances are, deep down, you probably won't.
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