The catch phrase of the moment for sales is VALUE ADDED SELLING. To most reps this means adding value to your product or service to make it more attractive in relationship to a competitor’s product or service. Value added means exactly what it says, adding value to your offering. It may be price, application, features, benefits or one of a hundred other things that add value.
There is another type of value added sales that most reps never use. This value added selling has nothing to do with your product or service; it has nothing to do with any of the factors above and has nothing to do with the company you work for. The value I am talking about is the value you place on people.
You need to add value to people every day, adding value to people will make you more valuable to people. It is no secret that customers do business with people they know and trust. Another reason people do business with someone is because they like the person. I have seen people buy products that didn’t work as well as a competitor’s product, cost more than a competitor’s product and had less features, benefits and applications than a competitor’s product. The sole reason for the sale was they liked the rep. One of the best ways to make a person like you is to add value to the person.
How do you add value to people, make them feel as if they are the central focal point for the sale. If you can show someone how buying your product or service will make them look good personally they will be much more likely to buy. Keep in mind, most of the sales are made using the companies money, so although saving money is the responsibility of the buyer, it isn’t personal. The same goes for all the other usual value added items that we try and put on the table during the sale, they are all good but not personal. However, if by buying your service their supervisor sees that this person is thinking and helping the company then the buyer is placed into a different light in their supervisors eyes. This is a personal reason that adds the value where it can be best appreciated to the individual.
Please don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say, all the other value added items also need to be part of the sale. It is only going to be more difficult to close the sale if the value of your product or service isn’t there. But adding to the mix the personal value will raise your value and give the customer a more compelling reason to say YES!
We have talked before about WIIFM (What’s In It For Me), by adding the personal value you are showing the customer WIIFM and giving them a chance to help you help them look better. Think about what we just did. The average customer / sales rep relationship is walking the line between love and hate. By adding the personal value you have become a partner with the customer to make them look good. Now we have a love fest ready to take place. Everyone working towards the same goal of helping the individual look good to their boss. If they buy, you in turn look good to your boss. This cycle goes all the way up to the CEO and BOD until everyone is happy. Am I making this bigger than it needs to be? NO! I actually can’t make it big enough.
So while you are working on your presentations, start adding in how you are going to add the personal value to the customer along with the added value of your product or service.
Lorin
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