Importance of Understanding Customer Needs and Value Selling Strategies

When looking for potential clients, do you actually take the time to do proper research?

Or do you quickly scan their website and pitch to them, hoping they'll reply? 

If you do not research properly, you'll never join the top 10% sales representatives club. In today's fast-paced sales environment, it's becoming increasingly essential for sellers to ensure they're selling the right products to the right people.

Discover why value selling is vital in this episode of "The Sales Evangelist Podcast." Host Donald Kelly speaks with Julie Thomas, the CEO of Value Selling Associates, about the challenges facing sales teams and the power of value selling. 

Julie shares insights into the changing dynamics of sales, the key to grabbing the attention of potential buyers, and the importance of being authentic and customer-centric in sales. Click the link to listen now and discover strategies to propel your sales success to new heights.

Value Selling and Julie's Background

• Donald congratulates Julie on her book and delves into her background at Value Selling Associates. 
• Julie explains the company's role as a world-class sales methodology used by B2B sales teams globally. 
• She shares her journey of writing the book to highlight what has changed and what has remained constant in the sales landscape.

Challenges in Grabbing Attention

• Julie discusses the challenges sales teams face in today's marketplace, emphasizing that getting the attention of potential buyers for initial conversations is harder than ever.
• She describes how the inundation of outreach and the presence of bots and AI have increased the difficulty of differentiating oneself and engaging with potential prospects.

Differentiating in Outreach

• Julie offers insights into how sales representatives can differentiate themselves from the competition. 
• She emphasizes the importance of demonstrating an understanding of the prospect, sharing valuable insights, and refraining from leading with product demonstrations. 
• Also, she stresses the need to focus on being relevant, providing value, and understanding the prospect's challenges before proposing a solution.

The Art of Communication and Engagement

• Donald and Julie discuss the significance of omnichannel communication, emphasizing the need to engage authentically and personally. 
• Julie shares her thoughts on using LinkedIn for outreach, one-on-one communication (such as direct email and phone calls), and one-on-many approaches through networking events and webinars.

Building Authentic Connections

• Julie highlights the importance of authenticity and engagement in social media, emphasizing the need for genuine, humble, and insightful content. 
• She stresses that engagement and dialogue are crucial on platforms like LinkedIn and that the goal is to move conversations from online interactions to meaningful, real-world connections.

The Concept of Interest and Value Selling

• Julie explains the fundamental principle of value selling, emphasizing the need to understand the customer and position one's solution as the best alternative for the buyer's problem. 
• She stresses that the key to value selling is ensuring that the problem being addressed is genuinely worth solving.

Julie shares invaluable insights into sales professionals' challenges and how to overcome them. Through her expertise in value selling, Julie emphasizes the significance of understanding your customer and positioning your solution as the best alternative for a problem worth solving. Her emphasis on authentic, engaging communication and creating genuine value for potential buyers is a game-changer for any sales professional.

Listen to the full episode to better understand how to differentiate yourself in a crowded market, engage with potential customers, and leave a lasting impression. This episode is a must-listen if you're ready to transform your sales approach and drive meaningful results. So, grab your headphones and prepare to learn from one of the best in the sales industry!

“If you want me to be interested in you, you must demonstrate your interest in me. Think of the social examples of the people you know, that it's all about them. Let me tell you about how great my job is. Let me tell you how cool my new car is. Let me tell you how great of a cook I am. Let me tell you how great this is. And after about 30 seconds. You just want to get away from those people. Yeah, but the people that come up and say, hey, how's your podcast going? What's new in your world and are interested in you, you tend to lean in and share a little bit more.” - Julie Thomas.

Resources

Value Selling Associates 

Julie Thomas on LinkedIn

The Power of Value Selling

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Mentioned in this episode:

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com