In a VUCA world, sellers are always expected to create value. Buyers consider the “value creation ability” of the salesperson to be the hallmark of their success. We all talk of value repeatedly. But what is value? Value is defined as “the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something”. Value is a perception of the worth of something. Value is determined differently by every individual.

However, today, we live in competitive times. There exist a plethora of competing players offering roughly comparable approaches to solving the same problem of the buyer. Buyers, of course, love this, as it makes their lives easier. It allows them to compare different sellers against each other via admirable, logical and rational comparison charts thereby encouraging cut-throat price competition. Sellers, on the other hand, often complain about finding it difficult to paint a picture of their differentiated offerings in the minds of the buyers. In the sales process, value creation by sellers depends upon 2 paradigms.

• The sales professional’s competence in making impactful value-creating conversations that will help buyers redefine the problem or need and demonstrate newer, insightful ways in which their solutions will deliver long term sustainable business impact for the buyer
• The seller’s capability in presenting their categorically unique offering that is both tactically and strategically cohesive to the buying organization.

Let’s look at some simple ways that can be used by sales professionals to create value in the sales process.

• Pre-sales process: initial value can be created for the customers through meaningful conversations that focus on building a relationship and understanding the underlying and unspoken needs of the customer. Positioning ones’ product or solution in a manner that resonates with the spoken and unspoken needs of the customer also goes a long way in defining value.
• During the sales process: By ensuring that the transactional aspect of the sales process is seamless, flexible and not time-consuming, the sales professional can create value for the customer through enhanced customer experience. Skills required to create a delightful customer experience is crucial.
• Post-sales process: the delivery of the product and/or service must be completed while ensuring quality and timely delivery to create value for the customer once the transactional sales are complete.

In the VUCA world, businesses don’t buy products or services – they buy results and outcomes. Therefore, today’s salespeople can only succeed by “Value Selling”, which addresses their customers’ “sense of worth” of those outcomes. Starting by clearly identifying priority needs, sales professionals must not only know but also constantly upskill themselves on how to present their offer in terms of its contribution to their customers’ business goals. Additionally, value selling also requires a special mix of skills that help salespersons to build

• Trust and personal relationships with different customer personalities
• Relationship with various stakeholders in each organization
• Consultative selling ability
• Negotiating ability

With a repository of knowledge and experience collected from industry stalwarts, GrowthSqapes up kills the sales force of organizations to enable them to create, develop and sustain the art of value selling in the VUCA world.

This blog has been written by Baalmiki Bhattacharyya, Partner & COO at GrowthSqapes.