Categories: Sales Conversation
Too many times, sales reps rely on a “magic bullet” product feature to set their products apart from the competition. They’re constantly touting that knock-out function that makes their solution stand out in the eyes of the customer.
Sadly, product uniqueness is fleeting. Today’s unique feature is tomorrow’s expectation. Good ideas are copied by the competition.
As a result, if your sales conversation relies solely on the latest and greatest feature, you’ll always be just one step ahead of obsolete. Instead, base your sales conversation on your organization’s defensible differentiators -- those characteristics that drive long-lasting customer value. They show your product is not only different, but better than the competition. To truly be “defensible,” your differentiators should include evidence to back up their credibility.
Once you have identified your defensible differentiators, it’s critical to use them to add value in the right place and at the right time in the customer conversation. The right differentiators should help influence your customer’s buying criteria. One way to quickly add value is to use your differentiators to help the customer define the business requirements that are that are critical to achieving their desired business outcomes.
Right Differentiators, Wrong Time
A classic seller mistake is to lead off early stage customer conversations with differentiators that are about your company in general, not about the features and functions of your products. Examples include, financial stability, company longevity and industry leadership. Although they may help a customer make a final decision, they are further away from the requirements that the customer is attempting to articulate.
There are times in the customer conversation that those type of differentiators are important, but start with attaching your value to their biggest business challenge. That’s when a customer sees real differentiation in the solution you are trying to offer. It’s important to establish differentiation with your customer, but doing it at the right time and in the right way will ensure success.
