How to Pinpoint Your Product's Customer Benefit
Sales Machine reader BizDevOne writes:
Weakest Link: Customizing sales presentations about the ways in which an individual company's participation in the development of foundational Web technologies will help to address a compelling pain point or business benefit for them.MY RESPONSE:
I can tell from your description that you're involved in high tech, because only a techie would write something like "foundational Web technologies."
Because I've seen hundreds of similar situations, I'm very familiar with the problem, which is that you think you're selling technology, when in fact you're selling the outsourcing of one of the customer's key business functions.
One way to escape from the dysfunctional thought pattern is to think about what you sell as a verb, not a noun. This sounds a bit vague, but it's a useful mental exercise.
Suppose your company makes glue. If you think of your job as selling "product data management software" (a noun), you'll tend to talk product features and other technical details. By contrast, if you think of your job as selling "controlling inventory and materials" (a verb), you will naturally tend to talk to customers about the function that your offering will play in the customer's environment and business.
Another way to escape that way of thinking is to bury yourself in the business model and business issues of the customer. If you really understand what they're up to, you'll realize that what you're offering is really just a part of what they're trying to accomplish and you'll see more clearly how your piece fits into their overall puzzle.
READERS: Comments?
Note: the question above came from the recent post "Free Coaching: Accelerate Your Career" asked Sales Machine readers to identify the weakest link in their sales skill set.