Is solving problems bad?

I've noticed something about technical people

They're usually very good at solving problems

Which is exactly what you'd hope

The interesting bit is what happens when that strength shows up early in a sales conversation

A customer describes an issue... and almost immediately, the conversation starts moving towards a solution

I've seen it happen countless times

Not because anyone is being pushy or they're trying to sell too hard

It's usually because they're trying to help

The challenge is that sometimes the customer hasn't fully understood the problem themselves yet

They're still working it out and making sense of what's happening

Still trying to understand what's causing it

So if we move too quickly to solutions we can end up solving the wrong thing or only part of it

What I've noticed is that the strongest technical salespeople seem comfortable doing something that feels slightly counterintuitive

They slow down

They stay curious a little longer

They spend more time exploring before explaining

Structure helps. Like the good old VALUE Framework 

🔸 Validate = right opportunities

Make sure there's a problem worth solving before discussing solutions

🔸 Align = right research

Understand what's happening beneath the surface of the requirement

🔸 Leverage = right conversations

Ask questions that create clarity, not just collect information

🔸 Underpin = right solutions

Position solutions once the problem is properly understood

🔸 Evolve = right outcomes

Keep checking that the solution remains connected to the real issue

The irony is that slowing down often helps things move faster

Because when the problem becomes clearer the solution tends to become clearer too

How do you avoid this technical drift?

(What I've described here is resisting 'product gravity' one of the pillars of commercially stronger conversations