Value is the language of consensus
Why is that SO important?
Buying groups are getting larger and more complex. Even smaller $50k SaaS decisions often involve 10 or more stakeholders. So if you’re a B2B seller and don’t have ‘guiding buyer consensus’ at the top of mind – then you’re probably toast. Period.
The problem is achieving buyer consensus is easier said than done. Different stakeholders have different needs – and what might be a strong capability for one recommender could be a big miss for another
The challenge we face is that features and functions are often highly contentious and can create disagreement. This is the last thing a seller needs because disagreement forces the buying group down a dangerous path .. Compromise
Compromise is the very worst outcome for a seller. Compromise is unpredictable and often results in a poor decision for the buyer. As buying groups get bigger, so does buyer regret – and no one needs a failed project
In my experience moving the conversation away from capabilities to business value and business outcomes is a key step to building consensus. Achieving business value and agreeing outcomes are common goals for all – whatever the department or role. They unite project teams and enable disparate groups to achieve consensus far more rapidly and predictably
The problem is buyers are mostly unable to make this transition on their own .. they need help – and the best person to provide that help is the seller
Once a salesperson has placed measurable business value at the heart of the evaluation their role quickly moves away from product pitches and procurement processes to orchestrating and guiding the buying team to consensus based on outcomes and value
If this all sounds a little theoretical, please come and talk to us at Cuvama. Our business value expertise combined with our collaborative value management platform will quickly enable you to transform your sales language and start leading your customer buying groups to consensus based on clear value and business outcomes
We’ll walk you through some Cuvama case studies where we’ve helped our customers increase win rates by 20%, increased average order values by as much as 40% and driven measurable increases in customer retention.
