Blogs What Is Outcome-Based Selling?

What Is Outcome-Based Selling?

August 12, 2024
Sara Cerruti is Vice President of Global Customer Transformation at ServiceMax, a PTC technology. She has over 20 years of experience in driving business process optimization and digital transformation initiatives in industrial businesses including Oil & Gas and Power. Sara combines Lean Six Sigma transactional and shop floor experience with business process transformation expertise to help customers achieve results by effectively leveraging technology to drive productivity and growth opportunities.
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Outcome-based selling shifts the focus from product features to the customer's desired outcomes. This approach prioritizes understanding what customers want to achieve, making it a powerful strategy for not only winning new clients but also retaining and expanding relationships through upselling and cross-selling.

Imagine you're selling not just a service, but a successful result tailored to the customer’s specific needs. By adopting a customer-focused mindset, you build deeper, more meaningful relationships, making clients more likely to stay with you and consider your product or service in the future. This involves delivering personalized experiences that ensure customer success.

To make outcome-based selling work, it's crucial to identify key client outcomes by asking high-impact questions to understand their challenges. This involves creating a clear picture of the long-term benefits your solution provides and staying connected to ensure these outcomes are achieved.

Ultimately, outcome-based selling is a commitment to customer success. It deepens connections and demonstrates that what you offer is essential for achieving their goals.

The importance of outcome-based selling in asset management

Outcome-based selling focuses on delivering customized solutions that align with the customer’s desired results. This approach is particularly relevant in asset management, where asset performance and longevity directly impact a company's operational efficiency and bottom line.

When you apply outcome-based selling to asset management, you shift from simply offering a product to providing a comprehensive solution that ensures the customer's assets perform optimally over time. This involves leveraging advanced technologies like asset monitoring software to track and manage asset performance, predict maintenance needs, and prevent failures.

The ServiceMax solution is crucial in this approach because it manages detailed asset records and performance data, enabling proactive service actions like preventive and predictive maintenance. By focusing on outcomes such as minimizing downtime and maximizing asset utilization, ServiceMax enhances your service value. This boosts customer satisfaction and builds long-term relationships by demonstrating a commitment to their success. Asset monitoring software can make a significant difference for your business.

How does asset monitoring software work?

Asset monitoring software meticulously records every work order, preventive maintenance (PM), and part replacement against the asset's history. When assets provide field performance data, the software captures this information to generate service calls for preventive maintenance based on utilization metrics, predictive maintenance through performance profiles, and corrective maintenance for asset failures.

The software customizes data collection, maintenance, and presentation to meet user-specific needs, ensuring that different departments receive tailored views of asset data. This supports optimal asset performance and customer satisfaction.

ServiceMax enhances these capabilities by offering advanced monitoring capability, ensuring assets perform at their best and contributing to client success through outcome-based selling.

Using asset monitoring software for outcome-based selling

Transitioning to outcome-based selling can significantly enhance your relationship with customers by focusing on delivering what they truly need. One of the critical tools in this transformation is ServiceMax. This software acts as a comprehensive system of record for all asset performance data, going beyond traditional ERP systems by maintaining detailed records of each asset's lifecycle.

Asset monitoring software captures the Bill of Material (BOM) as initially received and continuously updates it with all service history, creating a dynamic “As Maintained” BOM that reflects the asset's current state. This functionality is crucial for companies moving towards outcome-based services, as it provides the detailed, timely, and accurate information necessary to manage assets effectively and ensure they meet performance expectations.

By leveraging asset monitoring software, organizations can gain intimate insights into their assets' performance in the field. This data-driven approach allows businesses to anticipate maintenance needs, prevent failures, and optimize asset utilization, all of which are essential for delivering on the promised outcomes to customers.

Incorporating asset monitoring software into your outcome-based selling strategy helps you build closer relationships with customers, become more strategic in your service offerings, and enhance your ability to manage and optimize asset performance. This tool not only supports the transition to outcome-based services but also empowers your organization to thrive by delivering consistent and reliable outcomes, thereby setting you apart from the competition.

The benefits of asset monitoring for outcome-based services

Asset monitoring plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of outcome-based services. Here are some key benefits:

  • Improved Asset Performance: Continuous monitoring ensures that assets are operating at peak performance, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency. Real-time data allows for quick adjustments and proactive maintenance.
  • Predictive Maintenance: By analyzing performance data, asset monitoring software can predict when maintenance is needed before failures occur. This reduces unexpected downtime and extends the lifespan of assets.
  • Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Providing reliable and consistent outcomes builds trust with customers. They can see that you are committed to ensuring their assets are well-maintained and performing optimally.
  • Cost Savings: Predictive and preventive maintenance strategies reduce the need for emergency repairs and replacements, saving costs in the long run. Efficient asset management also lowers operational costs and can extend the asset lifecycle.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Access to detailed and accurate asset data allows for informed decision-making. Businesses can optimize their operations based on insights derived from real-time data. Businesses can also leverage asset performance data to support reliability engineering and root cause analysis initiatives that can lead to better, more cost efficient products and product lifecycle improvements.
  • Customized Service Offerings: Understanding the specific performance and maintenance needs of each asset allows for tailored service solutions. This customization enhances the value provided to customers.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Asset monitoring ensures that maintenance and performance records are accurately maintained, helping organizations comply with industry regulations and standards.
  • Competitive Advantage: Implementing outcome-based services with robust asset monitoring sets your business apart from competitors. It demonstrates a commitment to customer success and operational excellence.
  • Scalability: Asset monitoring systems can easily scale with your business. As you grow and acquire more assets, the system adapts, ensuring consistent performance management across the board.

Leveraging these benefits, organizations can enhance their outcome-based service offerings, ensuring better performance, customer satisfaction, and overall business success. With ServiceMax, you can seamlessly integrate advanced asset monitoring into your outcome-based selling strategy. Discover how ServiceMax can help you achieve your performance goals and enhance customer satisfaction. Contact us today to get started.

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Sara Cerruti Sara Cerruti is Vice President of Global Customer Transformation at ServiceMax, a PTC technology. She has over 20 years of experience in driving business process optimization and digital transformation initiatives in industrial businesses including Oil & Gas and Power. Sara combines Lean Six Sigma transactional and shop floor experience with business process transformation expertise to help customers achieve results by effectively leveraging technology to drive productivity and growth opportunities.

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