Value Based Sales

I’m often asked: “What exactly is Value Based Selling, and is it like SPIN, Sandler or any other ‘system’?” The simple answer is “no.” Value Based Selling, or VBS, is more of a strategy/philosophy than a system or a process. The challenge with systems is that every customer and situation is unique, and no training program can cover all possibilities – so what happens when a salesperson trained in a system comes across a situation they weren’t trained for? Most likely they revert to whatever comes the most naturally to them – what they were doing in the past.

VBS is a sales strategy which focuses on identifying value in the intangibles and matching them with customer specific value drivers. For example: let’s say you know that your company has the shortest lead-time in the industry, and you come across a customer whose #1 concern in the purchase decision is quick delivery. Simply saying that you have the shortest lead-time in the industry is not enough. You need to put an intangible (lead-time) into tangible terms (money). Now, you have a real value driver for that customer to consider. And notice – it has nothing to do with any product features or benefits!