Selling in a Crisis

40Sell Outcomes

People buy when they like you, trust you, and believe that the value of doing business with you exceeds the price they must pay. It is a simple value equation:

Value = (Emotional outcomes + Personal outcomes + Business outcomes) – Price

When the stakes are high, don't bring charm to a gunfight. Bring a business case that clearly articulates how your solutions help your stakeholders realize their desired personal, emotional, and business outcomes. This begins with understanding exactly what people are buying:

• Emotional outcomes include things like peace of mind, lower stress, reduced anxiety, feeling good about a decision, looking good in front of others, and feeling a sense of accomplishment.
• Personal outcomes include aspirations, reduced workload, more time, getting promoted, ability to focus on priorities, easier processes, earning a bonus, and achieving a goal.
• Business outcomes include revenue increases, profit increases, quality and service improvements, higher customer satisfaction and retention, increased efficiency, reduced expenses, and market-share gains.

An understanding of these desired outcomes and the metrics that matter to your prospect is the primary objective of discovery.

When risk and the penalty for making mistakes are high, pitching generic features and benefits won't get the job done. You must be able to demonstrate that you will deliver measurable business outcomes and a return on investment that far exceeds the risk of making the ...