--- title: Focus On The Problem description: If there’s a single message that traditional salespeople need to grasp to break free form commoditization it’s 'your solution is not your customer/prospect’s problem.' image: https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-363415780-jpg/blog-files/growth-steps-3-300x134.jpg --- ![Award Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%203.png) Award Winning, Amazon #1 Bestseller: The Revenue Acceleration Framework ![Lift Logo](https://www.liftenablement.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Lift-Theme-Dev/images/LiftEnablement%20-%20Logo%20-%20Reverse%20(2).png) HubSpot's Most Trusted Partner for Complex Implementations ![HubSpot Certified Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%204%20(2).png) HubSpot Certified App Partner ![Award Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%203.png) Award Winning, Amazon #1 Bestseller: The Revenue Acceleration Framework ![Lift Logo](https://www.liftenablement.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Lift-Theme-Dev/images/LiftEnablement%20-%20Logo%20-%20Reverse%20(2).png) HubSpot's Most Trusted Partner for Complex Implementations ![HubSpot Certified Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%204%20(2).png) HubSpot Certified App Partner ![Award Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%203.png) Award Winning, Amazon #1 Bestseller: The Revenue Acceleration Framework ![Lift Logo](https://www.liftenablement.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Lift-Theme-Dev/images/LiftEnablement%20-%20Logo%20-%20Reverse%20(2).png) HubSpot's Most Trusted Partner for Complex Implementations ![HubSpot Certified Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%204%20(2).png) HubSpot Certified App Partner ![Award Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%203.png) Award Winning, Amazon #1 Bestseller: The Revenue Acceleration Framework ![Lift Logo](https://www.liftenablement.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Lift-Theme-Dev/images/LiftEnablement%20-%20Logo%20-%20Reverse%20(2).png) HubSpot's Most Trusted Partner for Complex Implementations ![HubSpot Certified Badge](https://49161231.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49161231/image%204%20(2).png) HubSpot Certified App Partner # Focus On The Problem [ Doug Davidoff ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/author/doug-davidoff) Oct 14, 2012 3:45:00 PM [![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-363415780-jpg/blog-files/growth-steps-3-300x134.jpg?width=300&height=134&name=growth-steps-3-300x134.jpg "Growth-steps-3")](http://thefastgrowthblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Growth-steps-3.jpg)It amazes me how much time people spend developing, understanding and explaining their solutions, while spending little to no time actually understanding the problems their customers have.  If there’s a single message that traditional salespeople need to grasp to break free form commoditization it’s "[your solution is not your customer/prospect’s problem](https://blog.imaginellc.com/your-solution-is-not-my-problem)." As author Simon Sinek shared, [people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it](https://blog.imaginellc.com/people-don’t-buy-what-you-do…).  Your solution is your "what."  The problem you solve for your target market is foundation of your "why." Whether you’re a salesperson or an executive of a growing business, the second highest leverage activity you can undertake is to deepen and define the problem you solve.  How do you do that?  Begin by following these steps: The more clearly you can define the problem, the more attractive you’ll be and the easier it will be to stand out.  A commercial printing company we work with transformed their message from a solutions focus to a problem focus, and is now moving beyond commoditization.  Here’s their “why:”   *Mid-market companies don’t have access to the high quality, flexible enterprise printing capabilities that large companies have.  This is forcing them to spend more time and money to achieve their target results, and to accept less-than-ideal production constraints.* Now, instead of trying to convince people to let them bid on a project, they’re engaging in valuable conversations about controlling costs and improving critical results. You can learn more about making sales growth predictable, scalable and enjoyable by downloading our new report [*Achieving Effortless Growth*](http://100473.sites.hubspot.com/effortlesssalesgrowth). [B2B Sales Strategy](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/topic/b2b-sales-strategy) ## Read On [![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-363415670-jpg/blog-files/growth-steps-6-300x133.jpg?width=352&name=growth-steps-6-300x133.jpg) ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/killthesalespresentation) ### [Your Sales Presentation Is Commoditizing You!](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/killthesalespresentation) We’ve all been there, and we’ve all done it more times than we’d like to admit. Like pulling out... [![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/sense-of-urgency.jpg?width=352&name=sense-of-urgency.jpg) ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/3-questions-that-create-buyer-urgency-in-every-sale) ### [3 Questions that Create Buyer Urgency in Every Sale](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/3-questions-that-create-buyer-urgency-in-every-sale) I regularly caution salespeople and executives that “prospects buy on their time, not yours.” Too... [![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-361915667-jpg/blog-files/questions.jpg?width=352&name=questions.jpg) ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/are-your-customers-asking-the-right-questions) ### [Are Your Customers Asking The Right Questions](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/are-your-customers-asking-the-right-questions) There is nothing more important for you to know than the questions the customers and prospects in...