Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value, 14/e

Document the Value Proposition

In Chapter 7 we defined “value proposition” as a set of key benefits and values the salesperson promises to deliver to satisfy the customer’s needs. Salespeople must be prepared to substantiate the points presented during the sales presentation. Recent research indicates that salespeople often make claims of savings and benefits to the customer but fail to back them up. Failure to demonstrate and document claims is a common barrier to closing the sale.17

In many cases, the most effective value proposition is one that focuses on favorable points of difference between your product and the next best alternative. The salesperson recognizes that the customer can purchase the product from one or more competitors. Once ...