Buyers are faced with a double-edged sword. On one side, they have more alternatives available to them in today’s hyper-competitive market. On the other side, it is increasingly difficult to determine which is the best and most valuable option to choose.

1. 4 Keys to
Differentiate on Value
Julie Thomas
President & CEO, ValueSelling Associates, Inc.
Complimentary Webinar
February 15, 2018
This document contains proprietary information of ValueSelling Associates. Its receipt or possession does not convey any rights
to reproduce or disclose its contents or to manufacture, use, or sell anything it may describe. Reproduction, disclosure, or use
without specific written authorization of ValueSelling Associates is strictly forbidden.

2. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights
reserved.
2

3. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Do you believe your solution is different?
Absolutely
no differentiation?
Difficult to differentiate?
Easy to differentiate?

4. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
A tally of your unique
capabilities
Different
Expand your buyer’s
requirements to
prioritize your unique
capabilities over your
competition
So what?
Successfully
connecting your
unique capabilities to
prospect’s problems
Differentiation
Smart seller uncovers
additional problems
that create need
Competitive differentiation

5. Agenda
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
The current situation
What needs to change
How to…
- Get your customer’s attention
- Create need for your differentiators
- Uncover the value of that difference
- Proactively differentiate

6. Situation:
The Planet
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

7. The current
situation
Fewer opportunities
→ To succeed, a higher close-rate is required
→ To achieve margins, we need to be perceived
as unique
Most markets are saturated
→ Flooded with lower priced competition
→ Competitors sound the same
→ Buyers are savvy on the skill of
“non-differentiation”
→ It is all about us…. NOT
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

8. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Its all about
RISK

9. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
The sales cycle
is getting
complicated
Power shift
Competing for capital
Exposed weaknesses in sales execution
Where’s the value?

10. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Customer-speak
"TTM"
"TCO"
"ROI"
"TTR"

11. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Implication
to the field
Behaviors/skills/competencies
Differentiation often has to go
beyond product/capabilities
The “value dialogue” must be
meaningful and relevant

12. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Success grounded in business knowledge
Competitive advantage is more than product information
It’s how you sell…becoming problem experts
Our position

13. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
The flip-flop
approach
Understanding what causes people to
“listen”
Reverse-engineer your dialogue to get
their attention
Connect your solution to the prospect’s
problems
Applying the science of differentiation to
your marketing messages: Custom
brochures, proposals and
communications

14. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
The Value Buying Process™
Business
Issue
Problem Solution
Value Power Plan
Differentiated
VisionMatch™
Confirm Confirm
Qualified Prospect = Differentiated VisionMatch x Value x Power x Plan®

15. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Five areas of
differentiation
Customer
experience
Capabilities/
products
Risk mitigation/
brand
Terms &
conditions
Price

16. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
“Tee up” your differentiation
Customer
recognizes need
Business issue/s
1 Customer shops
for a solution2
Smart seller uncovers
additional problems
that create NEED
Uncovers
additional problems
Reduces competition
Increases revenue and margin
3

17. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
So
what?

18. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
The Value
Realization
Challenge
Customer’s
Business
Objectives
Business
issues
Problems
Solutions
Value realized
by customer

19. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Hard Value Quantifiable Values ROI
(Tangible)
Developing Customer Value
Business
Value
Personal
Value
Soft Value Strong sales argument
(Intangibles)
Priceless Value WIIFM (Intangibles)

20. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Competitive
Differentiation
Lack of differentiation seldom indicates
poor product or service
Usually means we failed to find out
what was important to customer’s business
In today’s
fast-paced
competitive market,
a customer rarely
figures that out for
themselves

21. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
A tally of your unique
capabilities
Different
Expand your buyer’s
requirements to
prioritize your unique
capabilities over your
competition
So what?
Successfully
connecting your
unique capabilities to
prospect’s problems
Differentiation
Smart seller uncovers
additional problems
that create need
Competitive differentiation

22. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
How to differentiate yourself
Expand your buyer’s
requirements to
prioritize your
uniqueness over your
competition
1
Develop value
of your differentiators
in minds of sales
reps AND customers
2
Cultivate concrete
answers to your
customer’s key
business issues
with you as their
trusted advisor
3

23. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Call to
action
Expand your buyer’s requirements to prioritize
your unique capabilities over your competition
Step 1: Determine where you are different or
better than competitive alternatives
Step 2: Ask yourself: “So what?”
Step 3: Create specific questions to uncover
need for those differentiators
Uncover the Business and Personal Value
of your key differentiators

24. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. 242/15/2018

25. © ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Questions?

26. At the end of
today’s webinar
Go to valueselling.com > resources > webinars
to download today’s slides
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

27. Based on the globally-proven
ValueSelling Framework®
Gain access to and prepare
for meeting with executive
decision makers.
Fill the funnel, engage buyers and
get more meetings with a repeatable,
cadence-based approach.
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

28. Follow us!
ValueSelling-
Associates
ValueSellingAssoc ValueSelling
Associates
@Valuselling
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

29. Thank you!
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Julie Thomas | President & CEO
julie@valueselling.com
+1 858-759-7954
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieathomas/