Selling the Value - Part 2

In my last article on the subject of selling the value, I focused on selling the value of training. Selling the Value - Part 1 In this article, I will expand the topic to include selling the value of most any product or service and how to clearly communicate your value.

As stated in part one of this series, the first step in selling your value is to understand what the people at the top (the ones that sign the checks) really want and shape your message around what is most important to them. Questions that sound natural coming from you, show that you understand the other person’s business and get to the heart of their goals and objectives are some of the best selling tools you have. The goal of good questions is to help the other person sort through all their competing priorities and recognize that they may need help in achieving their objectives.

Steven Covey clearly states in 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, “It is far more important to understand than be understood”. I completely agree with this statement, however, there will come the time when you also need to be understood for the value you bring to the table. To accomplish this I recommend:

Shape your message around what the other person wants to achieve

• Once you have a clear picture of what the other person wants to accomplish, you should have a clear picture of how (and if) you can really help them. If you can’t help, then find someone else that can benefit from the product or service you provide. But if the other person can benefit, your job is to help them see the picture of how the two of you can work together to accomplish his or her goals.

Continue to use clarification questions to make sure you are sending a clear message

• Throughout the selling process you need to step back and make sure that the message you present is clear. Two of my favorite questions are simply, “What questions do you have for me?” and “What do you think?” By using questions throughout the presentation, you can ensure that you and the person you are talking to are moving in the same direction.

Don’t be afraid to “close the deal”

• Near the end of many selling situations, there comes that dreaded and uncomfortable silence, when you are dying to know what comes next. My advice is to simply ask “What are our next steps?” This one question has closed several deals for me. It has also allowed me to know that the other person is really not interested, so therefore I should move on to someone else who could benefit from the product or service I provide.

In summary, to sell the value of what you provide it is more important to ask good questions than present well. However, when presenting it is your job to help the other person clearly see the picture of how the product or service you provide can help them achieve their goals and objectives.

In my next article on this topic, I will discuss more examples of how to sell value and offer some suggestions on overcoming objections.

Bob Riess is the President of The Customer Connector and can be contacted through www.thecustomerconnector.com or at (859) 240-2550.