Effectively articulating the value and differentiation of your products and services can make or break a deal. When a sales force is consistently expressing how their solutions solve customer problems better than the competition, the impact is clear. They’ll achieve:
- Higher competitive win rates
- Higher average deal size
- Greater deal margins
- Stronger and deeper customer relationships
Remember, there’s as much differentiation in how you sell as there is in what you sell. A Value Framework gives sellers the ability to repeatedly demonstrate how their solution solves their customers’ major pain points. They become more than just vendors, earning that coveted trusted advisor status in their accounts.
Having buyers see you, the seller, as more than just a product-pusher is critical for your selling success. Articulate value and differentiation and buyers will appreciate your ability to (1) help them solve their business problems and (2) demonstrate how your solution can help them achieve the positive business outcomes they’re looking for.
In the Field: How One Rep Used the Value Framework
Meeting with the Vice President of Worldwide Procurement for an existing and often difficult customer, a sales rep began referring to his value framework during the customer conversation. Eventually, his client asked, “What’s that information you keep looking at?”
The rep explained that the Value Framework outlined the 5-8 business challenges for their customers and how their products/services helped address those challenges. The client asked to see the information, then went through each value driver to confirm that his company was facing that specific business challenge. One by one, he confirmed that he was. When he was finished, he said, “I think there is one that you missed.”
Then the client and the rep went on to discuss another possible value driver and engaged in a powerful conversation about how they might build out a new value card. From that point on, the rep and his company were viewed in a completely different light by their client. And at the end, the client said, “I wish our salespeople could do that.”
Articulate Value and Differentiation
Effectively articulating the solutions you provide to your customers solidifies your business value. Using a Value Framework makes you audible-ready to express that value, no matter the customer.
How has the Value Framework helped you become more than just a vendor to your customers? Let us know! Comment below.
