Just thinking about Value……

Just thinking about Value……:from Axia Value Solutions by admin
A few weeks ago I wrote about my meeting with a Head of Procurement for a large multi-national business.  And my discovery that dolphin training was indeed alive and well.  And the fact that many sellers (far too many) tend to operate on a “discount default” and buyers are delighted to let them.  So in suggesting a move to a “value default” the question becomes one of “What’s that exactly – and how do I do it?”
So let’s start with value………..
The problem with value is that it is much like beauty – in the eye of the beholder.  What I consider great value may not be close to what you do.  But if I’m the customer it’s my perception that counts, not yours.  Under those circumstances you’d better find out how I define value – before you start telling me about all the wonderful things you think you can do and the great value you think you deliver.  Because I might not think so! In our book “The Challenge of Value” (or here if you’re in the U.S.!) we came up with our own definition of value:

“Value is a Mystery”……..

………..and the biggest challenge of value is solving the value mystery.  This brings us to one of the great skills of great salespeople:

“Great salespeople ask great questions”

No short cuts, no easy options, just great questions, great listening and great summarising.
OK, so it’s not easy……
Whilst it all sounds so easy the problem is that too many sales people are ill-prepared for the value challenges they face.  And meeting those challenges is an organisational task, not something to be just left to the poor sales guys (and girls). Most (OK, virtually all) of the salespeople I meet do not know the corporate value proposition of the business they work for.  To be fair, most of the senior managers don’t know it either. This is not too good a start. If the business has not defined its overall value offering, it’s difficult for the sales team to tailor it to the needs of specific business sectors and individual customers.
So next time, we’ll look at the proposition hierarchy…………….