Risks

Companies that do not practice solution-based sales, or do it poorly, risk: 

• Gravitating toward a staff augmentation/“body shopping” business model, which can hinder growth in the long term.
• Missing opportunities to develop solutions and engage customers on emerging technologies.
• Competing poorly in winning and locking in new customers.
• Rising expenses related to customer acquisition and maintenance.
• Harming effectiveness and follow-through, because of an inability to navigate cultural differences when using off-shore resources.
• Losing focus on sales efforts.
• Disconnecting sales efforts from larger corporate goals.

Opportunities

For companies that practice solutions-based sales, the opportunities include:

• Improving sales team effectiveness.
• Improving profitability by developing high-margin services packages that meet common needs among clients.
• Recruiting new customers more efficiently.
• Developing profitable, long-term relationships with customers.
• Unlocking new revenue streams as new technologies develop.
• Maintaining control of sales expenses in relation to revenue.
• Improving effectiveness of sales and delivery.
• Improving the focus, and, thus, results of the sales team.
• Aligning sales efforts with corporate goals.