September 14, 2007

Selling the effect

I just returned from a whirlwind of a couple days in Las Vegas, NV where I attended sales meetings for the middle of the year (we call it H2, for second half of the year). It was a great three days, and I came away with some great ideas and expectations for the second half of our year. During our second day of meetings our VP of Sales joined us for about an hour to talk about the previous six months and the next six months, among other things. There was one statement he made that really resonated with me. Quite simply, he stated that we as salespeople should be selling the “effect of our products and the value of that effect”. A simple example given was that when a person buys a suit, they aren’t buying it because they need cloths to wear, they are buying it because it makes them look better (the effect). By looking better they might be more confident in their appearance, more comfortable in a business environment, or project a positive self image which will help them succeed (the value).

For me, this was a minor twist but a fresh perspective on selling value, and thus I really wanted to communicate it here. By thinking about the effect a product or service has we really get straight to the benefit that product has to offer. Once that benefit is understood, and more importantly agreed upon, now the discussion can move to value, and when we talk value, we are selling at a whole new level; a level of success. Remember we are all sales people, and we can use this simple concept in our day-to-day lives and work environments. Sell the effect, and sell the value of that effect.

Cheers
Da Govna