The real value of what you offer is likely not in the products or services you provide or even the price. The real value is what you offer your customers and clients that your competitors don’t. Finding that value is essential to close deals. Most of What You Offer Isn’t Your Value You need basic sales knowledge to demonstrate your value to your prospective clients to make sales. It’s why you hear things like “features over benefits.” You must show prospective buyers that what you sell will meet their needs, ease their pain, and provide the best value. Unfortunately, most sales professionals go about demonstrating their value all wrong. They focus on the areas where what they offer—the actual product, service, or price—overlaps what their competitors offer. This is what we call the “parity area.” This area of overlap—where you and your competitors are virtually indistinguishable—accounts for about 70% of your talking points. To find your value, you need to find that 30%—the area where you stand alone, apart from your competition. Your True Value Finding your true value requires some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. However, your value must be more than the product of imagination. True value to your customers must be: Unique to you Novelty gives rise to value. So, part of your true value lies in what makes you—your business model, corporate culture, product, or service line—different from everyone else in the industry. Take SFI, for example. We are not the only outsourced sales company. We are not the only consultancy firm promising higher sales and revenue streams. However, we are the only firm implementing a process-driven approach (S.O.L.D.™) that has yielded results for all our clients for over 20 years. Important to your buyers To effect improved sales performance, your unique value must be important to your buyers. So, if you stand out among the competition because of your eco-friendly operations, your environmental stance only increases your value if your customers already care about their carbon footprint or you can make them understand why they should care—i.e., how it benefits them to choose a green vendor. Defensible Your value only holds value if the claims you make are true. You must be ready to prove your value through your performance history, reliable studies, client testimonials, etc. because prospective clients will ask. Ideally, your true value is already incorporated into your brand and drives your marketing campaigns. If not, the time might be right to rebrand and/or revamp your sales and marketing strategies. It’s a lot of work, but the process can be easier with the help of experienced sales professionals. Contact SFI to get the services needed to find value and increase your sales.
