The Edge by Mark Dresner

Selling technology services is no picnic.

Actually, selling ANY service is tough.

Though, in my book, technology services are the toughest.

After all, they’re complex, confusing and generally difficult to present to clients. And like all intangibles, services don’t really exist at all.

At least not in the literal sense, like a “thing.” Instead, services exist solely in the imaginations – and written contracts – of their creators.

Ahhh, but products…

Products on the other hand, have substance and form. They can be seen, touched, and held. With products, little is left to the imagination.

Because of this products far easier and less risky than services to present, sell and buy.

Services vs. Product Paradox

For many technology companies services deliver greater profits than products.

But they’re tough to sell.

Products are easy to sell … but they’re less profitable.

What a dilemma.

But what if …

What if it were somehow possible to transform a service into a product? Then you’d have the best of both worlds.

You’d have something highly profitable AND easy to sell!

Well, in fact, it is possible to productize any service. And I’ll show you exactly how to do it. In essence we’ll transform our intangible service into something tangible, real, and easy for clients to buy.

One everyday example of a productized service

We’re all familiar with insurance.

A life insurance policy, for example, is a service product. The agent delivers your policy documents in an elaborate presentation case with the policyholder’s name inscribed on the cover. The overall presentation reinforces the sale and adds genuine value and confidence in the mind of the buyer.

Generally, the more tangible you make a service offering (the more product-like), the easier it is for both salespeople to sell and customers to buy.

Clients want to know exactly what they’ll receive when they buy your service. Plus they need to recognize the value of the service deliverables to their business.

Until you’ve demonstrated these two things your client won’t commit to buying your service.

3 Steps to productize any service

Turning any service into an easy-to-sell product really comes down to these three steps.

Step 1: Determine what problem your service REALLY solves. Be very specific here. Make sure you’re solving a problem that your clients really care about.

This is also really a benefit statement of how you will help the client. Think how you’ll make his or her life easier, save/make money or improve business operations, etc.

And this is no time to fool yourself with “faux benefits” that aren’t really benefits at all. Your list of benefits should embody the ultimate value the client can hope to receive by buying and using your service.

Now is also the time to think about what makes your service unique. In other words, how does your service/product solve the client’s problem better than any competitive one?

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) can be proprietary delivery methods or methodologies, proprietary software or tools or highly trained personnel.

Step 2: What will the clients get from your service? What are the specific and tangible deliverables?

Every service has a deliverable, right? When packaging a service into a product the deliverable should ideally be tangible. The more tangible you make the service and the deliverables the easier it will be to sell.

Examples of tangible service deliverables include: printed findings reports, documentation, Audios and video, websites, analyses and recommendations.

The goal is to be able to leave something behind as evidence that something was done and that the client received value.

In my experience printed reports are excellent “service delivery artifacts.” Here’s why.

People will often leave them on their desk for a long time. So as a side-benefit you also end up with an advertising billboard for your service.

Step 3: Create marketing, sales and training materials. These materials serve two purposes. They give additional substance to your service product, making it “feel” tangible. Part of these materials should be pricing guidelines for the main product as well as any add-ons.

Your materials are also tools for your sales force to present the product and ultimately close business.

Effective marketing materials are brochures, Service Product Descriptions, websites and samples of any physical deliverables.

One hidden benefit of productizing services

Try this if you’ve ever pondered whether a new service will be successful.

Prototype the new service on paper first. Here’s what I mean.

Go through the process we just discussed above with the service your contemplating. In every step PRETEND the product is real and available now.

At the end of the process you’ll have materials to test the viability of the service.

Just create a direct mail letter to existing customers and prospects announcing a new service to be available very soon. Feedback from the mailings should help determine if the service makes sense to proceed with.

This approach is clearly less risky than taking a “build it and they will come” approach. Agreed?

Summary:

Turning your technology (or any other) service into an easy to sell product takes only 3 steps. And this process also serves as a risk-free testing group for services you consider to offer too.

Using this process could be your secret weapon to services selling success.

Imagine this. Your biggest adversary actually helps you to sell your product, service or ideas.

Sound impossible?

It’s not. And it happens every day in business, politics … and personal situations.

In fact, you may already wield this power unconsciously.

So how DO you use your mortal enemies to achieve your own goals?

An example from current events

Have you read the newspapers lately? Article after article report on the current (terrible) state of the economy.

Millions of jobs lost. Nest eggs lost to a financial market crash. Banks foreclose on homes at an alarming rate.

Who’s to blame? Answer: Wall Street

Wall Street – or anything financial – is the “common enemy” of anyone affected by the latest financial turmoil. Many believe Wall Street’s self-centered greed and devil-may-care attitude caused the downfall of global economies.

Right?

At least that’s what many (smart) politicians are saying. Washington has carefully selected an enemy for people to rally against – that further politicians’ agendas.

But this isn’t about politics … so let’s move on.

Using a common enemy to sell

Let’s take a look at a practical business application. Here’s how to use a common enemy to help sell your products and services.

I think you understand the mechanics from our political example. Quite simply you pick a big easy target that’s easy for people to hate or distrust. You paint your enemy as uncaring, out of touch, or inept.

You demonstrate the enemy’s only concern is for profits – at the expense of all else – causing great pain to your customers.

Next, you slay the beast

You’ve created an enemy. Plus you’ve riled up a throng of pitchfork carrying villagers – all ready to march on the villain’s castle.

Now it’s time to slay the beast. Here’s how to do it.

First, position yourself as the solution, antidote or “underdog” to this heartless monster. You’re the David standing up against the evil giant Goliath.

You (and your product) are the lone torchbearer of truth. You’re the one brave soul, whose only aim is to save the customer from this menacing evil.

Get the picture?

You’ve successfully rallied the troops around this formidable enemy and only TOGETHER can you fight them – and win.

And that one single solution is to buy your product or use your service.

A real business example

One place you see this approach used is in selling alternative health remedies.

Sellers portray the big drug companies as greedy – demanding you spend a fortune treating symptoms – never delivering real cures.

Perhaps they begin to believe – in the back of their mind – medical doctors aren’t helping them. They see that traditional medical doctors only want medicate you or cut you open to solve problems.

Furthermore doctors ignore, are scared of, or are just plain ignorant of treating patients with “natural remedies”

See how you’ve created an enemy in the minds of your customer? Actually you’ve focused on things the customer has probably ALREADY been thinking. You’ve just brought it forward.

The white knight?

Then the alternative remedy marketer dashes in. Like a knight in shining armor he saves with an “all natural herbal remedy, used for centuries by wise men in India…”

Of course I’m exaggerating to make a point. But I think you see the power of how this works.

Recap: three steps to getting sales from your enemies:

1. Find a common enemy that customers can clearly identify with.
2. Portray the enemy as uncaring, harmful or inept.
3. Demonstrate that your product is the anti-enemy – the solution  to this terrible threat.

Use this powerful technique of creating a common enemy and you’ll have a highly effective weapon in your selling arsenal.