One of the biggest complaints I hear from business owners is; ‘My people don’t even know what our value proposition is!’ While that may be a problem that is usually a symptom not the problem. The problem is no one has take the time to discuss the companies unique selling proposition. We all have competition and competition is good. You may have heard the ‘ol saying, “I don’t want No competition I want weak competition.
So here is an exercise for you. Write down the problems that your product or service solves. Then write down the problems that your competition solves. Are they similar? What points of difference can you find that may help your future clients more effectively? Make a list of the differences and then turn those into questions. Now when you’re in a selling situation use those questions to find out if the things you think are important are really important to your prospects. Never assume! Ask! Often it is important for the prospect to hear themselves talk it through and this allow you to use your listening skills. You can’t effectively tell a potential client you have value beyond your competition, they must discover it for themselves. Help them discover by asking questions.
When we look at value, often what has value to you does not have value to your potential clients.
When we don’t get the business due to ‘price’ what they said is, they don’t see the value.
If you don’t ask you won’t know. Take two minutes now and complete the exercise. When you have your list of questions, learn how to ask them in many different styles. Forget the old open ended, closed ended traditional sales techniques. Your prospect are on to that and it makes you look like a sales person and raises their defenses. Ask questions in an assumptive way. Example. When (your competition) came in last month for a review of how they re helping you make money and what you could do to make more, what did that sound like?
A wise man once told me that every time you ask a question and get the answer “I don’t know” you just earned more respect and created more value.
Stop selling, start asking more questions and create value beyond you product!