Soar to Success February 2021

E very industry seems to be undergoing some kind of a change. When market leaders are agile, they identify those changes quickly and they adapt. What kinds of changes can impact your value proposition? • Your business was bought, or you bought a new business • Environmental regulations • New Laws and or regulations • Technology change • Market consolidation • A Pandemic One thing we can count on is change. As you are reading this, I would like you to think about the changes you have seen in the last year. Do you know the changes and challenges your customers’ have experienced? What changes to you expect this year? Trouble arises when your salesperson uses a dated value proposition. This is a problem for two reasons… First it shows your salesperson andyour company do not understand the market of today. This is something your buyer will feel and instantly doubt their ability to trust your team. By Mark Allen Roberts Does Your Value Proposition Create Conversations That Lead to Revenue Today? Secondly, andevenmore costly, iswhenyour sales teamuses a dated value proposition, it negatively impacts future sales. Howdo you know if your salespeople are using a dated value proposition? The first step is to identify the changes buyers in the markets you serve have experienced since your sales team was trained, your web site was launched, and your sales brochures were developed. Second, conduct a value proposition audit with a third party interviewing your customers and prospects. Third, adapt your value proposition based on the insights gained in your value proposition audit. Last, train your salespeople how and when to use your value proposition and how to customize it to each of the buyer persona’s they engage with. A couple of quick rules when doing this kind of a value proposition audit: • Ask and listen, do not try to defend or sell through any issues identified. This is the quickest way to end a conversation.