Who doesn’t want to create value? I meet an average of 5-7 senior business leaders a week who give me “heartgasms” every time they say “We sell only on Value”. Agreed that probably with 20+ years of selling experience you are doing that; but sales is a full body contact team game, and you are only as successful as your lowest common denominator.
Are your reps just “communicating value” or “creating value”?
“Steamed fine long grain white rice, hand picked in the emerald green lap of Kerala, accompanied by golden lentil soup that was gently simmered over the kissing of angels “ Ohh boy !! That’s “dal-chawal”. Selling the 5-star hotel way is not really adding any value to the conversation. We all do it at some point in our careers and probably you are doing it right now.
This isn’t to say that telling value is a terrible thing to do, but it would be better if you enable the prospect to discover the value themselves. As sales people you would be more successful if you are seen as a partner who can add significant value to your prospects business.
Don’t waste money on CRM’s
It’s like Arnold Shwarzenegger offering a scholarly critique on the acting skills of Shaquille O’Neal in a thick Austrian accent.
CRM’s are to drive a process, it’s a reporting tool, manages the funnel, and so much more but they do not enable your team to adopt a consultative selling approach. It doesn’t tell your reps how to have the right conversation. The full value of CRM is unleashed only if you have a sales methodology to fall back to, until then it will be a tool people will fill it up an hour before the Monday morning sales review.
Give your sales people a fighting chance
I think of 64,356 silly responses when my manager asks me “Why is it not closing? WHERE IS THE PO?” (Current response: Because Gotham needs me). Come on, are you serious? You have trained them to show up and throw up, and you expect them to close half a million dollar deal for you.
Properly equipped and appropriately trained, your sales people can start to translate your techno jazz into a meaningful conversation, which essentially means asking the prospect about their toughest challenges and what they think can solve it. In simple english language.
Value is easily the most talked about term and the least understood. When I sit in skill assessments & reviews, the reps tell me how they explained the value of using their solution to the prospect. BINGO! That’s where you went wrong. You do not ever tell value, you help them uncover “Value”
Value has two sides
Business and Personal– While the business value is relatively easy to establish, personal value is tough to uncover. Case studies, client referrals, analyst blessings all talk about Business Value. The big deal is about personal value. “What’s in it for me”, while selling the traditional way we do not check for the personal value of the buyer at any point of time. What motivates him to choose one vendor above another when services and pricing are the same. Whether you choose to agree or not, it is this personal motivation towards a choice of partner which makes the difference in the end.
Go get ’em now- Gotham just switched on the bat signal!