Mike Lehr's Blog

One of the best problem-solving techniques I learned is writing down the problem as specifically as you can. This technique helps find solutions by:

• Putting the problem in a form that allows you to see it
• Uncovering aspects of the problem you had not considered
• Encouraging you to think about the problem as you choose the right words
• Ensuring everyone is tackling the same problem in brainstorming sessions

My most successful use of this technique involved the design of a week-long seminar for top sales reps regarding some new product lines. I worked with the National Sales Manager to define the problem based upon the questions his people were asking. This question seemed to sum up the rest and became my definition of the problem:

How do we integrate our various products into our story and our presentations?

The training solution this definition gave me was focused on questioning, the premise being that the questions you ask say much about what you’re selling. Therefore, an integrated product line required integrated questioning. How did I arrive at this solution from this definition?

Basically, I contrasted the sales process his people were using with the question and saw something missing: the focus was on what to say about the products at an introduction (story) or closing (presentations) not what to ask, the most important part.

The training was extremely well received by the sales reps; eighteen product managers focused on questioning strategies that the reps could use to uncover problems. I provided the overarching questioning strategy to integrate those. By writing down the problem, I saw something missing. In this case what was missing became the solution.