I like the Old Sales Cliche Thats Says 'no One Has Ever Needed a Quarter-inch Drill Bit. What They Needed was a Quarter-inch Hole'

This is another Question and Answer I posted on my LinkedIn account.

I am a subscriber at, LinkedIn, which is self described on their website as; '...an online network of more than 16 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.'

With LinkedIn's service I have reconnected and kept in touch with old colleagues, met potential employers, learned from many combined years of professional service, and used my network as a sounding board for my own questions and ideals.

The excerpts below are answers to just one of the many questions I have asked of my group of contacts.

Business Owner

The saying goes to the heart of what good salesmanship is about. Are you offering your customer a product or a solution to his problem? If you only sell a product, then you will lose out the next time if your competitor has a cheaper or faster or whatever product. But if you sell a solution, your customer will come to you time and again. In my financial services business, for example, people will come to me looking to refinance a mortgage and ask what the rate will be. But what they really want is a solution that will get them out of debt. The rate doesn't mean anything unless it's attached to a specific program to achieve their goals.


Senior Developer

I think there is a lot of truth in the saying.

As a software developer, I have seen firsthand (many times) how technology companies build products that people simply have no need for, and then wonder why they fail to sell. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that customers are customers because they have a problem which they need to solve, and your product helps them to solve it. With the exception of vanity technology (mostly cell phones and mp3 players), people don't *want* to spend money unless they need to.

Business Owner

I think that what John is trying to illustrate is the fact that customers buy features not benefits.