The New Power Base Selling: Master The Politics, Create Unexpected Value and Higher Margins, and Outsmart the Competition

Good Products Are Not Enough

Without question, a superior product, price, and brand give you an advantage. However, the times when you have an exceptional product and are the only game in town are rare; and although you can coast along for a while on only the capabilities and reputation of what you offer, this won’t last long. These glad circumstances mislead many people into believing they are selling well—when in reality, the product is doing all the work. The seller is just along for the ride.

This is far more serious than a mere case of mistaken identity. If you judge yourself and your efforts by the strength of your product, you might also judge the potency of your competitors only by the strength of their products—and make a fatal error in the process because:

The best product does not always win.

As much as product superiority can produce competitive advantage, it can also lull you into a false sense of security, as Amy found out.

A lot of sellers do not sell; they surf. Their prospecting is more like searching for the perfect wave than working to make things happen in accounts. They do not create demand. They become adept only at servicing demand, identifying niches for “hot” products that have developed a certain momentum and appeal. As with champion surfers, they make the job look easy—and it may be easy, for a while, until the currents shift. And they always do.