Service vs. Solution: What Are You Really Selling?
- Akino Davis
- Sep 14
- 7 min read
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Welcome back to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter. Last week we leaned hard into momentum with “Clarity Doesn’t Come from Overthinking. Clarity Comes from Action.” If you missed it, read it here: Clarity Doesn’t Come from Overthinking. Clarity Comes from Action. SME Digital
We’re continuing that same theme this week, building a real-world-tested business model that aligns with your expertise by tackling a quiet trap that keeps smart professionals underpaid and overworked.
If you keep selling a service, you’ll keep getting compared; when you sell a solution, you become the comparison.
That’s the fear behind so many DMs I get: What if no one buys? What if I sound like everyone else? What if I underprice and overdeliver? Underneath those questions is a framing problem, confusing what you do with what your buyer gets.
You are not alone. I made the same mistake.
The Real Problem You’re Wrestling With
When I first launched SME Digital, I sold tasks: strategy sessions and business plans. Accurate? Yes. Compelling? Not really.
Prospects saw activity, not outcome. A menu, not a mission. Hours, not a result.
I recognized the pattern because I’ve seen it in my earlier life across construction, projects, facilities, and operations management. Teams would pitch painting, maintenance, or project management services. Yet the clients who signed fast weren’t buying tasks; they were buying certainty: a dust-free handover, zero downtime, and a facility that worked exactly like it was designed to work.
Here’s the unlock: services describe inputs; solutions promise outcomes. Buyers pay for the outcome.
Service vs. Solution: What Are You Really Selling?
Let’s put the phrase Service vs. Solution under a spotlight.
A service says, “I’ll write 12 posts and optimize your profile.”
A solution says, “In 30 days, we’ll install an authority system that clarifies your expertise, upgrades your profile, and gets you having qualified conversations, plus the assets to sustain it.”
A service is a list of actions.
A solution is a pathway from Point A to Point B with milestones, proof, and expectations.
The day SME Digital shifted from “coaching strategy services” to a named, time-boxed path with clear artifacts, my close rates climbed, delivery got lighter, and clients started reporting wins sooner. Not because I worked more hours but because I owned the result.
Why Common Approaches Keep You Stuck
Let’s call out the usual suspects and why they don’t solve the fear:
Service menus. Useful for scoping, terrible for selling. Menus invite comparison and discounting.
Hourly billing. Anchors value to time, not transformation. The better you get, the less you “should” charge.
Custom everything. You spend creativity on scoping instead of solving. Delivery becomes inconsistent.
Feature-first messaging. You describe what you do, not what changes for the client. Features inform; outcomes persuade.
No proof path. Without evidence and a named method, buyers must “believe” before they can buy. Belief is fragile. Proof is convincing.
All of the above leaves the buyer with the one thing they hate most: risk. When your path isn’t clear, price pressure begins. Projects stall. “We’ll circle back” becomes the lullaby of lost deals.
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Proof, Purpose & Positioning (Your Risk-Reduction Engine)
Your solution becomes magnetic when it’s built on three pillars:
Proof removes doubt.
Purpose removes noise.
Positioning removes competition.
1. Proof: Show the receipts.
Turn your wins into assets. Use micro-case snapshots, before/after comparisons, timelines, and artifacts (templates, checklists, and scripts). Show the path, not just the prize. A named method signals mastery.
2. Purpose: Say why this matters and to whom.
Define who you serve, the change you’re committed to, and the standards you uphold. Purpose is practical. It tells buyers what you won’t do so you can pour your energy into what works.
3. Positioning: Own a category, not a commodity.
“LinkedIn content services are a commodity.
“Executive LinkedIn Authority Accelerator for senior professionals transitioning to advisory” is a category you can own.
If last week’s article hammered action over overthinking, this week is about packaging that action as a solution the market can trust and choose quickly. (If you need a refresher on running fast tests to gather proof, revisit the clarity piece here: Clarity Comes from Action.)
The Offer Equation (Use This to Stress-Test Your Solution)
Outcome × Evidence × Fit ÷ Friction = Offer Strength
Outcome: What measurably changes for your client?
Evidence: Proof snapshots, artifacts, and a named method.
Fit: Is your promise tuned to your ICP’s realities and constraints?
Friction: Time demands, messy onboarding, unclear steps, or complex tools; reduce these relentlessly.
If your offer feels “soft,” one of the multipliers is weak or friction is high.
A Field Story: When “Service” Breaks and “Solution” Wins
Years ago, I stepped into an operations project that was already bleeding time and budget. On paper, multiple vendors were “performing services.” In practice, no one owned handover certainty.
We reframed the engagement as a time-boxed solution: staged milestones, on-site protocols to prevent rework, an escalation path, and a daily decision log.
Same trades. Different frame. Two things shifted:
The team had permission to make decisions aligned to the outcome.
The client finally had visibility and confidence.
That’s the power of Service vs. Solution. The work didn’t become more heroic. It became owned.
Turn Your Service into a Solution (7 Practical Moves)
1. Name the painful, specific problem you already solve.
Write one sentence: “I help [ICP] go from [pain] to [clear outcome] in [time box].”
2. Time-box the transformation.
“30 days.” “4 weeks.” “One focused day.” Containers create commitment.
3. Give your steps a name.
A named method turns invisible expertise into a visible asset.
4. Bundle portable artifacts.
Deliver templates, scripts, checklists, and an “Owner’s Manual.” Artifacts are proof your client can hold.
5. Price the outcome, not the hours.
Anchor to the cost of not solving the problem. Confidence grows when your price maps to avoided pain.
6. Script the milestones and first win.
Show what “done” looks like and deliver a fast first result. Early momentum calms buyers and teams.
7. Pilot, measure, and publish.
Run a small pilot, capture outcomes and language, and tighten your steps. Publish the results as proof.
Language Swaps That Sell the Solution
From “I offer…” → “We install…”
From “deliverables include…” → “By Day 30 you’ll have…”
From “scope and hours” → “milestones and metrics”
From “custom proposal” → “standard pathway with options”
From “testimonials” → “mini case snapshots + artifacts”
Every swap reduces perceived risk. That’s the job.
The 10-Day “Solution Sprint” (Build Proof Fast)
Day 1–2: Decide. Write your one-sentence solution and set your floor price.
Day 3–4: Offer. Draft a two-line promise + three outcome bullets. Build a booking link.
Day 5–7: Invite. Send 10 calm, direct invites/day to warm contacts. Book 3 sessions.
Day 8–9: Deliver. Chase one fast win per client and collect exact language on what changed.
Day 10: Decide. Keep, tweak, or kill. If you keep it, raise it from floor (price) to target (price) for the next three buyers.
This mirrors last week’s action ethos. We’re not theorizing; we’re proving, in the market, with real people, quickly. Re-read the clarity article for momentum if you need it: Clarity Comes from Action
Bottom Line: Choose to Be the Comparison
Professionals don’t struggle because they lack skill. They stall because they sell tasks wrapped in talent.
Your market doesn’t want more tasks; it wants a trusted path to a specific outcome. That’s the essence of Service vs. Solution and it’s the backbone of a business model that’s tested in the real world and aligned with your expertise.
If you’ve been stuck in fear, indecision, or overthinking, do this today: write your one-sentence solution, name your method, time-box the result, and invite three people. Proof beats perfection. Purpose keeps you honest. Positioning makes your value obvious.
If this spoke to you, you’re exactly who I write for each week.
Subscribe to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter at www.smedigital.biz/blog for weekly insights on moving from a high-performing professional to a successful entrepreneur.
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