Ep. 9 How to Sell Complex Solutions to Multiple Buyers with David Svigel

Episode Overview

This episode features David Svigel, the co-founder of ROI-Selling.com. He’s been a close friend and business partner of mine for over a decade. We’ve tag teamed on several successful client engagements where the b2b client wanted to up their game in value selling – and that meant being able to communicate and quantify the business value proposition to targeted prospects. In this episode, David and I will talk about some of the trends we’ve seen in buyer behavior, and how this has added gravity to being able to sell both personal value for each buyer and overall company value for larger b2b solutions. He will also offer several practical tips for upping your value-selling game.

Episode Timestamps

[1:44] How David Became Focused on Helping Sellers Sell Complex Solutions

• Early in his career, David noticed that there was a disconnect between the buyers and sellers of complex solutions.
• • Sellers did not really quantify the benefits to their buyers.
• That disconnect became an insight for David to help even out those sales conversations and bring them together with ROI selling:
• • Led David to co-found www.ROI-Selling.com

[2:51] What’s Changed in the Nature of Buying?

• Closer budget scrutiny.
• More decision makers involved in every b2b buying decision.
• Upward movement in the buying decision:
• • More senior/executive-level approval is required before a purchase decision is made.
• These 3 factors have converged to restrict any individual buyers purchasing authority, and for the sales representative, it has caused longer sales cycles.

[6:03] How Does Value Selling Play Into Addressing These Changes?

• Getting buyers motivated requires showing them your solution is going to save them either money and/or increase revenue.
• What buyers don’t care about anymore is:
• • Marketing speak such as “high quality” or “long lasting”
  • When reps start talking about the latest feature of a solution.
• The fundamental question that buyers want answered is can your solution help them do more with less.
• • The next question buyers will want to ask is, how much can it help?
  • Quantifying your solution’s value creates a sense of urgency with the buyer, and sets the stage for approvals from the buying committee
• When you’re dealing with buying committees as a sales rep, what’s beneficial is showing each committee member how the solution will benefit them.
• • Quantify it for each person.
  • Makes it easier for the group to come to a consensus together.

[11:10] Ways Sellers Can Get Started in Value Selling

• An ROI tool.
• Look for available resources:
• • Find case studies with good value points.
  • Talk to your marketing department:
  • • Find research reports as material.
• Frame the value discussion around your customer’s unique situation.
• Undergo a depth of analysis of your customer’s unique problem(s).

[17:15] Why Sell Based on Business Value?

• So sales reps can close more deals, better defend their price – by showing what the value of their solution is.
• Begin to collaborate with your buyer and build the business case:
• • Will make maintaining your budget that much easier.
• If you build the business case and the buyer buys into it, they will be more engaged.

Additional Resources

1. Connect with David on LinkedIn
2. Grab some ROI Selling Resources
3. Surf the ROI-Selling Blog
4. Join the Value Selling LinkedIn Group
5. See some top-class ROI selling tools

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Credits
Sound editing and show notes produced by – ChirpSound