The first thing that we tell our clients is that “cheap” is not “value”.  Consider a cheap meat pie from a discount store.  You take a bite, and throw the rest out, because the pastry is soggy and you detect a rather grisly amount of offal and fat.

While you bought it “cheaply”, for 25% of the price, you then throw 75% out.  You may as well have paid full price for your “value” product and enjoyed it, right?

The answer to customers wanting “cheap” is Value Selling, which helps you to sell your product at a premium.  For that reason, Value Selling is the most coveted craft in commercial business today.   And contrary to some conventional wisdom, it is most certainly nothing to do with price.

Here are four considerations when Value Selling:

1.  Make sure they get more than they paid.

This is really the Golden Rule of selling.  GET more than PAID.  These are the two dynamics in value selling – the perception of what you get, and the reality of what you pay.  If you feel you get more than you pay, then you have a smile on your face.  You have received great value.  With that in mind, you then need to…

2.  Build a value toolbox

Regularly we get the following feedback during our training:  ”We have no way to offer extra value – it’s our price, and that’s it”.  This is a bit like a teenager looking in a fridge and saying “there’s nothing to eat”.   To which the parent says “yes there is, you just haven’t thought about it hard enough.”

Yes, value is often the obvious stuff – free steaknives, better delivery terms, a bit extra for the same price, two options instead of one, and most of the other value points that your competitors may also use.  However peel back the layers of value for your real differentiators:  your people, your approach, your attitude, your work ethic, your network, knowledge, facilities, responsiveness, experience, access to your resources…which leads me neatly on to on to point three…

3.  Value means different things to different people

Value is not fixed.  A classic example used in sales training is a glass of water.  To a man dying in the dessert, it’s worth the price of life.  To a man standing next to a tap, almost worthless.  We all have a different definition of value, and it depends on the context of the customer.   For example, we have a particular client at Natural Training who likes access to the Board – almost nothing else matters compared to some personal service from me or one of my co-Directors.

The key is to find out what value looks like to each person.  You can ask directly, or you can notice how they come across, appear, and act in front of you.  Pick up on the signs!  And then you must influence their perception of value, which takes in point four…

4.  Articulate value in a motivating way!

One of the main drivers to Value Selling is how you talk about your value.  If you can talk about value in a more motivating way than your competition, then you have the deal.

So if you are going to spend time preparing your meeting, spend less time on your credentials (how good you are) and more time crafting your words to describe the value (how your value matches their needs) .

Words sell, and using linguistic techniques such as analogies, vivid descriptions, insights, comparisons, benefits, scenarios and stories will all help you to sell value.

This is a difficult question to answer in just a few words.  The reason is that clients alter their priorities across industries.

For example, in relatively immature industries such as Web Design, a proven track record of success, plus a financially robust balance sheet, are both essential elements that clients will look for.

In mature industries, such as Logistics, it’s quite the opposite.  Clients know that the top logistics companies are on the whole successful and financially robust.  Instead, clients might be looking for freshness, energy and innovation in this mature industry.

But there are loads of other considerations too.  Your job prior to the pitch is to find out which of these points are right up the top of the client’s assessment notes.

If you get them right, and focus your pitch in those areas, then you will have much more chance of success!

So here’s the list – keep it handy while you’re preparing for your next pitch!

10.  Performance against industry benchmarking

Won any awards lately?  Has your company been the subject of a survey, or some research?  Have you had the opportunity to statistically prove how good you are – compared to others in your industry?  Has there been any consumer comparison data produced?

This is very important information to get across in a pitch.

The reason is that industry benchmarking can move the pitch topic from opinion to fact.   From “this is how good we think we are” to “this is how good others think we are”.

If you haven’t entered any industry awards maybe this is the year you could consider it.  Yes, it’s a lot of work. However there are benefits – it can really help to focus what your company has achieved, producing some great materials for your next pitch.

And it can bring people together from various internal departments.

But most of all, preparing for an award or commissioning some research is a great way of ticking this important box for a client.

(Incidentally at Natural Training one client of ours said that winning an award increased his billings by about 100%).

Make your next pitch a winning one!

A pitch is a high energy process – often fun and sometimes frustrating.  It is usually a time of great uncertainty too.  From the outset you are never 100% sure that you are going to win, which makes it a nervous process full of guesswork.

Your aim throughout the pitch preparation process is to bring as much certainty to the process as possible.  While not conclusive, this list of criteria should go a long way to helping you get that certainty.

Give us a call at Natural Training if you would like us to show you why we are considered a sure thing by many of our clients looking to win their next pitch.

Would you like Mary to run some training for you?

Simply call 020 7613 7830 and we will organise for Mary to train you and the team.
Visit our blog for more great sales advice”.

- No stranger or unknown company will ever contact you by mail or by phone with an actual method for making money easily or in your spare time. And if the person or company contacting you asserts that they are someone you know, double check before taking action.

- Don’t have back surgery. See a physiatrist first, then exhaust all other options before wondering if you should have back surgery.

- Borrow money to buy things that go up in value, but never to get something that decays over time.

- Placebos are underrated by almost everyone.

- It’s almost never necessary to use a semicolon.

- Seek out habits that help you overcome fear or inertia. Destroy those that do the opposite.

- Cognitive behavorial therapy is generally considered both the quickest and most effective form of addressing many common psychological problems.

- Backup your hard drive.

- Get a magnetic key hider, put a copy of your house key in it and hide it really well, unlabeled, two blocks from your house.

- A rice cooker will save you time and money and improve your diet, particularly if you come to like brown rice.

- Consider not eating wheat for an entire week. The results might surprise you.

- Taking your dog for a walk is usually better than whatever alternative use of your time you were considering.

I highly recommend you watch it and see for yourself that you don’t have to be incredibly polished, or “smooth” to win the hearts and minds of your audience.

Selling something is all about making a connection.  We have to talk, act and behave at the right level so that our prospects and customers both understand and like us.

The use of analogy is an effective way of creating understanding.  Analogies are comparison points – we compare our product, service or company to something universal such as the weather, sport, or anything that is popular enough for the receiver of our communication to grasp.

Below is an example that came into my inbox the other day – I thought I would share it because personally it’s the first time I have completely understood the enormity of the USA debt problem.

This is a difficult question to answer in just a few words.  The reason is that clients alter their priorities across industries.

For example, in relatively immature industries such as Web Design, a proven track record of success, plus a financially robust balance sheet, are both essential elements that clients will look for.

In mature industries, such as Logistics, it’s quite the opposite.  Clients know that the top logistics companies are on the whole successful and financially robust.  Instead, clients might be looking for freshness, energy and innovation in this mature industry.

But there are loads of other considerations too.  Your job prior to the pitch is to find out which of these points are right up the top of the client’s assessment notes.

If you get them right, and focus your pitch in those areas, then you will have much more chance of success!

So here’s the list – keep it handy while you’re preparing for your next pitch!

9.  Chemistry of the team

When your clients are watching your pitch, there is a portion of their attention (albeit at times subconscious) that is directed towards your teamwork.  Chemistry is defined in Wikipedia as “the science of matter and the changes it undergoes”. Note that there are two dynamics here – the original form, and then change.

What does this mean for chemistry within your team?  Well, the same two things. Winning teams are the combination of personalities in your team, but it is also the way you change with, and react to, each other.

In other words true team chemistry is not just how you appear, but the small changes that you go through in the room while you are pitching.

It’s the changeovers, the reactions, the subtleties, the respect you have for each other (not doodling while the other person is speaking for example!) and the way you bounce off each other that count. Chemistry is the jokes you share, or the way you throw across the room to your Account Manager for an example or anecdote.  It’s the slight brush of a hand on your shoulder as your GM stands beside you, talking about you warmly and genuinely.

Teamwork is greatly aided by rehearsal.  Be aware that it is very difficult to “create” chemistry between people because it may come across as fake or forced.  Team chemistry shouldn’t be the aim of a session, but rather a pleasing side effect of rehearsal.

Why do clients rate team chemistry so highly when they are watching pitches?  Because it is an indicator of so many other things, such as:

- Respect: If this team respect each other (for example don’t interrupt) then they probably have a healthy working relationship.  If they respect each other’s expertise then it probably represents a well structured and talented business

- Experience: If this team work well with each other in the pitch then it means that they have worked together in a stable environment for a while in the real world too

- Easy to work with: A pitching team in harmony and good humour indicates to the client that they will be easy to work with.

Come back soon to our blog for The Winning Pitch #10 – “Performance against industry benchmarking!” When your clients are watching your pitch, there is a portion of their attention (albeit at times subconscious) that is directed towards your teamwork.  Chemistry is defined in Wikipedia as “the science of matter and the changes it undergoes”. Note that there are two dynamics here – the original form, and then change.

Make your next pitch a winning one!

A pitch is a high energy process – often fun and sometimes frustrating.  It is usually a time of great uncertainty too.  From the outset you are never 100% sure that you are going to win, which makes it a nervous process full of guesswork.

Your aim throughout the pitch preparation process is to bring as much certainty to the process as possible.  While not conclusive, this list of criteria should go a long way to helping you get that certainty.

Give us a call at Natural Training if you would like us to show you why we are considered a sure thing by many of our clients looking to win their next pitch.

Would you like Mary to run some training for you?

Simply call 020 7613 7830 and we will organise for Mary to train you and the team.

Stories sell, inspire, motivate and, most importantly, help your customers to undesatnd you and warm to you.

As a result I spend a great deal of my time helping clients to develop and refine stories that prove a point.

Here’s one of my recent favourites which is a simplistic way of explaining the Greek economy:

It is a slow day in a little Greek Village.
The rain is  beating down and the streets are deserted.
Times are tough, everybody is in  debt, and everybody lives on credit.
On this particular day a rich German  tourist is driving through the
village, stops at the local hotel and lays a  E100 note on the desk,
telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the  rooms upstairs in
order to pick one to spend the night.

The owner gives  him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked
upstairs, the hotelier  grabs the E100 note and runs next door to pay
his debt to the  butcher.

The butcher takes the E100 note and runs down the street to repay  his
debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the E100 note and heads  off to pay his bill at
the supplier of feed and fuel.

The guy at the  Farmers’ Co-op takes the E100 note and runs to pay his
drinks bill at the  tavern.

The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute  drinking at
the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to  offer him
“services” on credit.

The hooker then rushes to the hotel and  pays off her room bill to the
hotel owner with the €100 note.

The hotel  proprietor then places the E100 note back on the counter so
the rich  traveller will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveller comes  down the stairs, picks up the E100
note, states that the rooms are not  satisfactory, pockets the money,
and leaves town.

No one produced  anything.
No one earned anything.

However, the whole village is now out  of debt and looking to the
future with a lot more optimism.

And  that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package  works.

2. Effort

3. Acknowledgment and Understanding

4. Choices and Options

5. Positive surprises

6. Consistency, Reliability, and Predictability

7. Value (not necessarily best price)

8. Reasonable Simplicity

9. Speed

10. Confidentiality

And, a Sense of Importance

So how do you demonstrate your passion to your clients?    What are some of the ways you can do this tomorrow?

Give us a call at Natural Training if you would like to learn more.

Simply call 020 7613 7830 and we will organise some training for you and the team.

This is a difficult question to answer in just a few words.  The reason is that clients alter their priorities across industries.

For example, in relatively immature industries such as Web Design, a proven track record of success, plus a financially robust balance sheet, are both essential elements that clients will look for.

In mature industries, such as Logistics, it’s quite the opposite.  Clients know that the top logistics companies are on the whole successful and financially robust.  Instead, clients might be looking for freshness, energy and innovation in this mature industry.

But there are loads of other considerations too.  Your job prior to the pitch is to find out which of these points are right up the top of the client’s assessment notes.

If you get them right, and focus your pitch in those areas, then you will have much more chance of success!

So here’s the list – keep it handy while you’re preparing for your next pitch!

8.  Creativity of your solution

People are creative, companies are creative and solutions are creative.  If you think you are in a totally non-creative company, then you are wrong. Creativity doesn’t just belong in an advertising agency.  Creativity dictates the effort, the skill and the approach required to solve a problem.

In a pitch you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.  You might have the same commoditised solution as your competitor – for example a bag of wheat – and you might think there is little you can do about it.  However, in the right hands even a bag of wheat can win over an audience.

Pitch creativity is about presenting it in a way that moves audiences to feel something about the solution.  It could be the way you present it in the pitch:  you could make the solution the hero and the real focal point of the pitch.  You could have certain visuals to support this.  You might include the client in a session to help you actually arrive at the solution in the pitch – demonstrating both your creativity and giving the client a first hand look at how simple it is to work with you.

You might twist the solution around and look at the problem from a different angle (maybe the customer angle, or the media angle).  You can be creative with how you structure account service, how you order your logistical solution and how you present a contract.

There are all sorts of opportunities to demonstrate “out of the box” thinking.

The London Olympic bid was a prime example of this.  The bid team were up against 3 cities that were all considered front runners – Madrid, Paris and New York.  The team had to find a creative solution to position London against these three, and chose a core message around youth, heroes and the future of sport.  It was a creative solution that won.

Come back soon to our blog for The Winning Pitch #9 – “Chemistry of the team!” When your clients are watching your pitch, there is a portion of their attention (albeit at times subconscious) that is directed towards your teamwork.  Chemistry is defined in Wikipedia as “the science of matter and the changes it undergoes”. Note that there are two dynamics here – the original form, and then change.

Make your next pitch a winning one!

A pitch is a high energy process – often fun and sometimes frustrating.  It is usually a time of great uncertainty too.  From the outset you are never 100% sure that you are going to win, which makes it a nervous process full of guesswork.

Your aim throughout the pitch preparation process is to bring as much certainty to the process as possible.  While not conclusive, this list of criteria should go a long way to helping you get that certainty.

Give us a call at Natural Training if you would like us to show you why we are considered a sure thing by many of our clients looking to win their next pitch.

Would you like Mary to run some training for you?

Simply call 020 7613 7830 and we will organise for Mary to train you and the team.

If you pictured an Accountant from Enron, he is probably making number plates.  But if you pictured a normal accountant, she would probably have a calculator, or a spreadsheet, or a graph out in front of them.  For they are the typical things we associate with an accountant.

How about if you picture in your mind’s eye a sales person?  What are they doing?

Chances are they are speaking on the phone, or presenting a proposal to a client.  In other words, busy selling.

If that were always the case, as a sales training company, we wouldn’t have much to do.  Industrious sales people, doing the right sales related activities, will always end up selling.

However we find that this is often not the case.  We see sales people all the time who are caught up in sales redtape, either by their own creation, or their managers.

We call this behaviour “sales avoidance”, and it’s the number one reason why sales people don’t sell.  It’s very much the driving reason behind why we’re in business – we go into a company and re-focus people back to the sales-related activities that will make them money.  Once we have done that, then we give them some new skills to make them more effective.  But it always starts with focus.

So, how do you recognise sales avoidance in yourself, or your team.  Here are three tips:

1. Activity levels.  If you aren’t actively measuring activity levels, then start doing it.  Outbound calls, inbound leads fielded, talk time, and number of meetings are the big measurements.

2. Strip away all non-sales related activities, so that there are fewer excuses NOT to sell.  A non-exhaustive list:  internal non-essential meetings, getting involved with marketing, extensive research on companies prior to picking up the phone, multiple forms of paperwork, a slow CRM or database, excessive banter in the office, sorting some grander plan out such as strategy…  Sometimes to help, we ask salespeople the following question:  “If there was a sign above your desk, saying ‘If I’m not doing X, Y, and Z I’m wasting my time’, what would those activities be?”

3. Re-focus by using time management blocks.  For example:  8:30am – 11am:  calls.  11am – 12:30pm:  proposals and follow up.  13:30 – 16:00:  meetings.  16:00 – close of day – plan calls and meetings for tomorrow.

We are now in the real business end of the year, and every moment counts if you are going to achieve target.  If you feel that you or your team are victims of “sales avoidance”, then move, quickly and sharply, to address it.  Give us a call on +44 (0) 207 613 7830 to discover more.