Selling Simple Solutions for Complex Problems

How do you make complex things appear simple?

Many products address challenging problems.

Challenging problems often need complex solutions.

Customers find it hard to understand complex solutions.

One of the biggest challenges good SEs face is to showcase complex solutions without losing their customer in the process.

Einstein has a great quote

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

Many times, I find I open my mouth to explain something, without really thinking about how to express the knowledge as simply as possible, and taking into account that the person I'm talking to is not necessarily up to my stage in the thought process of the concept.

You need to help them build it up in their mind, from the most simple way of explaining it.

Wait for them to come up with questions, before diving into complex answers, examples or additions.

When selling a complex solution, or a solution to a complex problem, you need to ensure you give your buyer or prospect a chance to come up with a way of understanding the problem.

If your competitor explains something simpler than you can, then you have a challenge to make the customer understand the difference.

A few things you can watch to get the idea of simplicity in design and solutions better:

John Maeda - Designing for Simplicity 

HBR - To Keep Your Customers, Keep It Simple

David Pogue - Simplicity Sells (even has a fun song at the beginning)

How to become a better listener

Sales people often talk too much.
Sales Engineers often talk too much.

Customers often take time to think about the insights you are providing, and it takes them time to think of the right questions to ask.  You've been in this kind of conversation often many more times than they have.  Give them some time to think and come up with their questions and you will learn much more about what they wanted to say.

Anne Miller's article on 5 Tips to Stop Interrupting Others gives you some easy methods of handling the way you interrupt people, and help you become a better listener.