ABSTRACT
If you have worked with sales people, or if you have ever worked with the sales department of any company, there is one word you will hear mentioned more than any other (apart from the word “quota”). For a sales professional, it rolls off the tongue like butter rolls off a hot knife. That word is: VALUE. You will hear company representatives make statements, such as “This is the value that our solution provides,” or “Our business case is based on being able to fix the customer’s problem and deliver value to your business.” There are entire sales training programs with content dedicated to identifying the best route to value. Most of these training programs are focused on situational questioning techniques; endeavoring to get clients to open up about their needs and wants in relation to their business challenges. The training typically involves taking part in situational role play scenarios to teach the sales professionals how to uncover these clients’ needs or wants. Learning these techniques is important because identifying the customer’s perceived problem is an integral part of confirming that your product portfolio or services can fix the customer’s problem (for a fee, of course).
