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Rude Prospect - Salesperson's Lament

 The prospect called the salesperson. He needed a proposal for a custom item the salesperson sells. The prospect said they were "in a real rush" and needed the information "yesterday." Naturally, the salesperson was excited. She had been sending informative emails for months and following up with telephone calls, with the goal of getting an appointment to discuss the advantages and value of her product, but she had never been able to reach this prospect. She kept leaving voice mail message after voice mail message to no avail and now, finally, she was excited to see that her persistence had paid off. Now the prospect was calling her! She cleared her desk, met with associates, worked up a proposal in record time, and submitted it with an impressively low price, testimonials, photos, and data sheets that showed the superiority of her product, high level of service, and the specialized expertise of her company. k day, never getting the prospect, but leaving voice mail...
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Is Your Value Proposition Missing the Target

 Why You May Be Missing the Target A value proposition is not a single statement but different statements for different types of customers and different situations. Many salespeople attend a class and learn a formula for creating a value proposition. They work diligently to craft that critical opening statement or elevator pitch for customers. But a single statement may miss the target, because like solutions, one size does not fit all. You need a collection of words and phrases that you can assemble into statements to form the right value proposition for the customer or prospect and the situation. These words and phrases are reasons why a prospect or customer would buy from you. Let me give you some information on how you can hit the target every time. Connecting on Two Levels First, people buy from people they like. They buy with their hearts and justify with their heads. So, initially, you need to connect on an emotional level and then connect on a business justification level....
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In the Belly of the Beast: Selling to 4 Kinds of Customers

 Sometimes, decisions are made by committee---groan!---and that means a lot more leg work for a Solopreneur consultant who's trying to get a project or a sales professional trying to bring in an order. When you must win over several staff members, you may never know whose opinion really controls the sale (although you can ask). All you can do is prepare yourself by anticipating the kind of information that the point person in each department is likely to appreciate and making sure that you deliver it. Finance When the Finance Department contributes to buying decisions, know that tangible and intangible value received in exchange for dollars invested is the primary concern. Therefore, present your product or service in language that communicates the expected ROI of the purchase, over the short and long-term, and indicate whether the organization will save or earn money when the product or service is introduced. A case study to illustrate the financial impact that your product or se...
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