How to Better Sell Value

Does Your Sales Team Need to Learn How to Better Sell Value?
Sales experts the world over tout the benefits of learning how to better sell value. But does it really make a difference in results?

The Value of Selling Value
Business sales training studies of both buyers and sellers report a recurrent theme — the importance of value. Buyers buy when they perceive that they are getting relevant, timely, and trustworthy value. Sellers sell when they can clearly identify, link, articulate, and substantiate the differentiated value that they can deliver with the customer’s best interests at heart.

In fact, value-driven sales organizations:

• Grow revenue ~20% faster
• Have a ~10% higher win-rate
• Retain high performing sellers ~10% better

7 Ways to Better Sell Value
How do these winning sales organizations distinguish themselves in their day-to-day activities and orientation? Here is a primer on how to become a value-driven seller from sales management training experts:

1. Create a Clear, Compelling, and Implementable Sales Strategy
   Sales strategy accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing sales teams. Sales force effectiveness starts with a sales strategy that is equipped to handle current and future marketplace realities.

   That means agreement on target clients, value proposition, success metrics, sales processes and methodologies, barriers to success, and a realistic action plan to execute your sales strategy and overcome the key barriers.

2. Create a Healthy, High Performing, and Aligned Sales Culture
   Sales culture, how sales-related work gets done across a company, accounts for 40% of the difference between high and low performing sales teams. While many teams create a sales strategy, too many leaders fail to measure and align how work gets done to best execute the sales strategy.  This is a painful mistake.
3. Establish a Common Sales Process, Methodology, and Accountability System
   Sales teams are more effective when they have a unifying framework for what they do. Without a common process, sales leaders should expect inconsistent, unscalable, and average results.

   However, with a proven and practical sales methodology that focuses on the customer and the customer’s buying process, you can expect higher and more consistent performance.  Just allow some flexibility to adapt to differing buyer roles and situations.

4. Invest In Sales Effectiveness
   If you are looking for higher revenue, margin, and win rates, make sure your solution sellers know how to add value in a way that helps their customers (and their customers’ customers) to succeed.

   This starts with boosting the solution selling skills of your team — not generic skills but the skills you know will produce results in your market, for your unique offerings, and with your specific target customers.

5. Inspire and Motivate
   Stay connected to your team, reward their successes, and share your vision of what a high performing sales team can achieve. The more sellers believe in what they’re selling and why – what we call sales conviction — the more motivated they will be.
6. Price According to the Customer’s Perception of the Value You Provide
   Cutting prices as a competitive strategy will only work in the short-term. For long-term success, it is value over price that will win in the end. That means your sales team must have the ability to calculate (with their buyer) the value of the problem that they are trying to solve.
7. Assign Accounts Strategically
   Consider client needs and match them with seller strengths. Assign accounts to those sellers best suited to your buyers in terms of industry, organization size, and buyer requirements.

The Bottom Line
Are you ready to truly sell value? Make it a priority, focus on the customer, and invest in your sales team’s capabilities. Then enjoy the difference in revenue and win rate from the way you operated before.

To learn more about how to better sell value to your target clients, download How to Create a Unique Value Proposition to Set Yourself Apart from the Pack

Tristam Brown

Tristam Brown is a seasoned business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.