Today’s buyers aren’t just looking for a product pitch. They expect more. Salesforce reports that 87% buyers expect sales reps to act as advisors, not just vendors.

That’s where solution selling stands out.

It’s not about features. It’s about fit.

Take a CRM like HubSpot, for example. A product-selling approach may rattle off automation features. A solution seller would identify that the client struggles with lead follow-ups and show how a sales automation tool can fix that.

The second approach isn’t for everyone, but it’s crucial for customisable or high-value offerings. Think of industries where a tailored solution matters more than a feature checklist, like SaaS and consulting.

The main point is that the way you sell matters more than ever. Solution selling and product selling aren’t just buzzwords; they’re different mindsets that drive different outcomes.

So, if you want to stop guessing and start closing with intent, read the full breakdown we’ve put together on solution selling vs product selling, their pros and cons, and real-world applications.

What is solution selling?

According to a Gartner study, 96% of buyers say they want vendors who understand their business. You can't hit quota anymore by just pitching features. You need to connect with what actually moves the needle for your buyer.

And with the market tightening, buyers are pulling back. They’re not buying nice-to-haves. They’re buying solutions to real pain.

CFOs are asking: ‘What’s the ROI?’ If your sales team can’t tie your product to a clear business outcome, you’re out.

A LinkedIn Study says solution selling can increase deal size by up to 35%, just by anchoring value.

But wait, what is solution selling?

B2B sellers need a solution-selling sales strategy, as Gartner explains below:

Take the example of Supademo, an interactive sales enablement tool. Supademo doesn’t just sell interactive demos. For sales teams, it’s a powerful AI SDR tool selling:

• Shorter sales cycles
• Higher product adoption
• Fewer support tickets
• Time saved for pre-sales/CS teams

Explore Supademo for creating conversion-focused demos for sales in 7 clicks:

Let’s align with the core principles of solution selling, and see where Supademo lands:

Sean Ellis, author of Hacking Growth, argues that achieving initial user gratification (product/market fit) is the first thing that matters when selling:

I think that it is easier to evolve toward product/market fit without a business model in place (users are free to try everything without worrying about price). As soon as you have enough users saying they would be very disappointed without your product, then it is critical to quickly implement a business model. And it will be much easier to map the business model to user perceived value.

Pros of solution selling in B2B sales

• Builds renewable revenue. B2B companies using solution-first revenue operations tools and processes saw 2.5x higher retention rates, according to Dashly.
• Builds trust by focusing on the customer's unique challenges and goals.
• Encourages ongoing engagement and customer loyalty.
• Demonstrates a deep understanding of the customer's business, leading to increased perceived value.
• Positions your offering as a strategic solution rather than a commodity.
• Enables personalized experiences that drive higher customer satisfaction.
• Facilitates cross-selling and upselling through deeper client insights.
• Reduces churn by proactively addressing evolving customer needs.
• Strengthens long-term partnerships and referral opportunities.
• Aligns sales and customer success teams for seamless customer journeys.

Cons of solution selling in B2B sales

• Takes time. The discovery phase is deep. It’s not ‘Hi, here’s a demo.’ You’re looking at 30-50% longer sales cycles. But if you're closing 6-figure deals, it's worth the lift.
• Involves integrating multiple products or services, increasing complexity.
• Requires highly skilled salespeople comfortable with consultative selling.
• Demands deep industry and client knowledge, which can slow onboarding.
• Risk of over-customization, making scaling and standardization harder.
• Longer approval cycles due to multiple stakeholders and complex proposals.
• Harder to measure ROI quickly compared to product selling.
• It’s resource-heavy. You need cross-functional collaboration between product, marketing, CS - all aligned.

What is product selling?

It reduces ramp time by ~30% as per Salesforce’s State of Sales report.

Product selling is efficient, on the surface. But it's tactical, not strategic. You’re closing deals, not solving problems. That’s fine until your churn spikes.

As Kyle Coleman (Global VP Marketing at ClickUp) argues in his post,

“When sellers talk product, customers talk price. When sellers talk problems, customers talk value.”

Zoom’s early sales motion (2013–2019) was textbook product selling:

• Fastest video startup time
• HD video prospecting
• One-click join
• Minimal lag on low bandwidth

They focused obsessively on product performance, and it worked. While WebEx and Skype were selling enterprise-ready collaboration platforms, Zoom was winning deals by showing it just worked better.

But here’s the problem.

Once Teams and Google Meet caught up, feature parity became real. Now, IT buyers didn’t care that Zoom connected faster. They cared about:

• License consolidation
• Compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2)
• Total cost of ownership

Product selling hit its ceiling.

Pros of product selling in B2B sales

• Streamlined sales process with a clear focus on product attributes.
• Easier to train sales teams and replicate the sales process across markets.
• Suitable for straightforward purchases with minimal customization.
• Scales efficiently due to standardized offerings.
• Simplifies inventory and supply chain management.
• Reduces negotiation complexity and shortens sales cycles.
• Enables easier pricing strategies and discount management.

Cons of product selling in B2B sales

• May not address the specific needs or challenges of the customer.
• Emphasizes immediate sales over long-term customer relationships.
• Limited flexibility can lead to lost opportunities with complex buyers.
• Harder to differentiate in competitive markets focused on product features alone.
• Less opportunity to upsell or cross-sell customized solutions.
• Sales teams may struggle with customer objections about relevance.
• Reduced ability to build deep strategic partnerships.
• May neglect the evolving needs of clients, impacting retention.

So when should we not use product selling?

When you’re in a high-ACV sales cycles. Let’s say you’re pitching to a $50M logistics company. Talking about workflow triggers and customizable fields doesn’t resonate. What lands? We helped FedEx reduce delivery SLA breaches by 23% last quarter using similar automation.

If your GTM motion depends on differentiation, long-term expansion, or consultative sales, then relying on product selling limits growth. Think of it as a first gear, not cruise control.

Product selling and solution selling: The difference in each B2B sales stage

Real-world example: Why Microsoft went from product selling to solution selling

Historically, Microsoft's sales model was product-centric, focusing on licensing software per user. However, under CEO Satya Nadella's leadership, the company transitioned to a solution-selling approach. This shift offers valuable insights:

• Microsoft's legacy was heavily product-centric, focused on selling mainframes, hardware, and software licenses as standalone items. The sales approach revolved around features, specs, and transactional deals.
• With evolving market demands, Microsoft faced margin pressures and rising competition. Customers increasingly sought integrated solutions that solved complex business problems rather than just buying products.
• Under strategic leadership, Microsoft pivoted to solution selling, bundling hardware, software, consulting, and managed services into tailored packages addressing specific business challenges (e.g., digital transformation, AI adoption, cloud migration). This shift emphasizes understanding and addressing specific business challenges rather than just pushing products.
• By focusing on solutions, Microsoft fosters deeper, ongoing relationships with clients, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Microsoft capitalized on cloud computing and AI trends, embedding these capabilities into solutions rather than selling them as isolated products.
• This approach aligns with the broader industry trend towards cloud services, which can lead to more predictable and recurring revenue streams.

Microsoft's market value increased significantly, reflecting the success of this strategy. Additionally, the company has seen hyper growth in its cloud services segment, indicating strong customer adoption.

Here are some lessons for other companies to model Microsoft:

• Understand your customer’s broader business challenges and design offerings accordingly.
• Solution selling demands consultative skills, cross-functional collaboration, and deeper market knowledge.
• Sales, marketing, product, and service teams must align tightly around customer outcomes.

Solution selling vs. product selling: Which one is right for your B2B business?

Many businesses benefit from a hybrid strategy, employing solution selling for complex clients and product selling for straightforward transactions.

As next steps, you should:

1. Use data enrichment tools to classify opportunities by complexity and deal size; apply product selling to low-touch deals and solution selling to high-value accounts.

2. Equip your team with frameworks (e.g., Challenger, SPIN), selling-objective specific sales collateral, and role-play scenarios to sharpen problem-identification skills.

3. Pilot Supademo on three mid-market and three enterprise opportunities next quarter. Monitor demo environment, engagement, and conversion lift using Supademo’s analytics.

4. Feed Supademo engagement data into your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) to trigger tailored follow-up sequences based on viewer behavior.

5. Set KPIs basis of deal size growth, cycle reduction, demo-to-opportunity rate, and review monthly. Refine your approach based on real-time metrics.

Use Supademo to scale selling without bogging down your reps?

Supademo is an AI-powered interactive demo software that tailors content on the fly, tracks leads, monitors performance, engages prospects, and integrates with your CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce).

Sales POCs can spin up personalised walkthroughs in minutes rather than days.

By aligning your AI sales tool to buyer expectations and leveraging AI-driven demos like Supademo, you’ll not only meet but exceed your revenue goals.

Want a hands-on trial? Get started with Supademo for free—no paywalls, just powerful features to help you deliver better demos and close sales with intent.