Conventional wisdom is that problem solving makes a good salesman. The real value in a salesman can be found in their problem finding ability. The discovery and creation of problems are more important than the skills and knowledge to solve them.
It is important that you find the important problems. You can brainstorm to find problems, but it is critical that you find the right problems. I found some methods for finding the right problems. The methods I found relate to Innovators, but can be used in any aspect of business.
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Using Strategy to Identify Problems:
Sometimes Innovators, like inventors, start investigating a problem area because the performance capabilities of a particular technology have reached a plateau, while performance demands keep increasing. To move to the next performance level requires shifting to a different technology. This can be related in sales possibly to the technique you are using. In order to find the problem, sometimes you need to think outside the box and you can’t be your normal self.
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Reframe Existing Problems:
Innovators have an uncanny ability to reframe existing problems. By immersing themselves in a problem, they see it through a different lens that allows them to capture aspects that had been previously overlooked. This can be related to sales through the fact of the need fro sales people to have the ability that allows them not to look past and gain sense to not overlook problems.
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Work Backward from a Far-in-the-Future Vision:
Innovators may work backward from a long-term goal to discover how tackling a series of short-term problems might allow them to ultimately produce, many decades later, that long-term vision. Sales people can use this and tackle all the short term problems of the clients and customers. This will give them better understanding and preparation for the long term vision, or closing the sale.
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Use Other Domains for Insight:
Innovators find the right problem by gathering insight from across multiple domains. Sales people need to gather information from as many people, businesses, etc. as possible. The more insight you receive, the more understanding of the real or “right” problem more clearly.
Clarity is important in problem finding because it’s not about just finding a couple problems, it’s about finding the RIGHT problems.
BoweryJE22
I think that your tips on finding the right problem is very helpful, especially the one about starting from the future big picture and working backwards. It’s very important to be meticulous in this process!