Price is what your customer pays, value is what your customer gets.  

Since the bubble burst in March, 2000, a lot has been written about the need to get an adequate return on investment. As fundamentally important as value is in the sales process, it is amazing to see how little the customer understands about value, and how little salespeople use value in the sales process. 

How can you win the business when your competition is undercutting your prices? 

In order to get a project funded, customers need to prove an adequate return on investment. The investment is the easy part for them to determine (it's usually found on the last page of your proposal). It's the RETURN that needs to be quantified. If the return can not be quantified, then the project is just a cost—and the cost is always too much. 

The successful salesperson must be able to help the customer quantify the benefits of the solution. Asking an appropriate set of questions to the right people will provide the information you need. 

does your sales team need value training? 

To see if and how your sales could benefit from a value proposition workshop:

1. Ask your salespeople to give you their "elevator" statement (what they would say if they had a chance meeting for a couple of minutes with a key decision maker that would generate interest). If they hesitate, ramble, or leave you feeling they would have missed an opportunity, they will benefit from this training.

2. Take a look at the most recent proposals or price quotes that have been developed. If it does not include clear, concise, specific value to the customer (in the executive summary, cover letter, and/or pricing summary), they will benefit from this training.

3. Reflect back on conversations about problems salespeople are having in their current sales opportunities. If they are dealing with price and/or product feature comparisons, they will benefit from this training.

4. When coaching your salespeople, what is the reason given for not being able to get appointments with new prospects. If they are saying they can't generate enough interest, they will benefit from this training.

Use value propositions to get executive appointments  

In the Telephone Skills Workshop participants will learn to use value propositions to:

• Create "elevator" statements.

• Get initial appointments with new prospects.

• Develop opportunities to expand business with existing customers.

• Provide value in the sales process.

• Describe value in a clear, concise way

  • get initial appointments.

  • qualify a prospect.

  • extend relationships and business opportunities.

  • overcome objections.

  • overcome price and margin pressures.

  • create compelling events.

Use value propositions to develop ROI analyses 

The Solution Selling Workshop will enable participants to use value propositions to develop ROI analyses:

• Understand the quantifiable value of the solution. 

• Create value during the sales process.

• Differentiating between return and cost.

• Differentiating between value and price.

• Integrate value into selling fundamentals.

• Identifying what the customer values.

• Verifying the customer's value system.

• Quantifying the benefits.

• Calculating the costs.

• Ascertain the opportunity costs.

• Weighing the alternatives.

• Analyzing the risks.

• Describing the above in a clear, concise way to:

  • qualify a prospect.

  • develop your solution.

  • generate proposals and presentations.

  • overcome objections.

  • overcome price and margin pressures.

  • close the sale.

value proposition on-demand service

Consultants are available to help with the creation of a value proposition for an individual client, opportunity, product, proposal, etc. 

Request a Workshop Consultation »