The buyer's journey has evolved from a linear, predictable process to a complex expedition with twists, turns, and multiple decision points. Unfettered access to information puts the buyer in charge but something important is missing: a clear perspective of a product's value to the business.
Why would a company abandon its existing value selling tools after investing in their development? The answer is often simple: the tools are too complex and the sales team won’t use them. To better understand how to deploy more effective value selling tools, it is first important to understand how and why they are too complex.
With value selling tools, sellers can develop a more persuasive business case with insights into customer problems. And buyers can justify investing in a solution whose value is expressed in dollars and cents. In our experience, successful value selling tools adhere to ten core principles.
When selling to well-informed buyers, your sales team needs to skip the “features and functions” pitch and get straight to the point: the value your solution delivers relative to the problems it solves. Do they have the right tools and training? Do they understand what’s most important to buyers?
Every now and then, it's worth rereading the now-classic business book, “The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation." The authors make it clear that value selling can help every sales rep perform like a Challenger by adopting the attributes in the profile of this likely sales leader.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Serulneck, an accomplished (and now happily retired) value engineer, who shared his experience using value selling methodologies to sell technology solutions, as well as his perspective on how value selling has changed over the last decade.
What can Aristotle teach us about value selling? Aristotle? Value selling? The link between one of the greatest thinkers of the Western world and value-based sales processes is stronger than you would think!
Your ability to help B2B buyers understand the value you provide can make or break the sale. In some cases, as with our client IQS, that means communicating the ways in which the prospect or customer is losing money so that the buyer understands the potential of the solution.
A solid business case is essential for conveying the value of your solution through its obvious and more subtle advantages. When properly prepared, a business case informs and challenges customers to consider new perspectives, and gives you an opportunity to seal the deal with speed and confidence.
Buyers go through a natural process when deciding to invest in a technology solution. The most successful sales approaches guide customers through that process quickly, confidently, and collaboratively.
