I was browsing at my local fish shop the other day, thinking about what to cook for dinner.

The sales assistant came up and asked what I would like.

“Can you recommend a good fish suitable for steaming?” I asked, glancing at the fillets on display (because, you know, I don’t do gutting and cleaning of fish).

She immediately led me over to the whole fish display: “We have a blue cod, whole fish. It’s beautiful – the best!”

Her enthusiasm was so genuine that I was sold.

10 minutes later, I walked away with two meals sorted – fillets for dinner, head and bones for soup.

I reflected on how simple and painless the transaction had been: I expressed a need, the sales assistant had a solution – boom!

Of course, I might have said no to her suggestion, but by putting an idea into my realm of consideration, she had made my life simpler.

Isn’t that what sales and marketing is all about?

How might you make your potential client’s life simpler today?