Several months ago, Lindsey was working an 80 day sales cycle for a prospect that she felt confident about. Communication was flowing and everything seemed to be aligning perfectly. She was able to go right to the CRO at her prospect with a compelling value statement, which he was immediately responsive toward. They happened to be in growth mode and a 5% ACV would be huge for him.
Their first several conversations had been value-based, and they barely touched features and functions. However, after their first few conversations, Lindsey was upfront about pricing. Similar to what many sales professionals experience, this was the bump in the seemingly yellow-brick-road. Lindsey’s contact was already worried about the price and while on the phone he said “Wow. That’s a lot. I haven’t budgeted for that much.”
But, because their first several conversations were value-based, becoming reinforced and refined each time they spoke based on the prospect’s business metrics, he didn’t waiver, despite the fact he initially didn’t have the budget. He believed in the value.
Lindsey and the CRO went through procurement, and based on the value of the business case she had prepared with him throughout the buying cycle, there was no discount given. By coaching this CRO on the value ValueCloud could help them achieve, he was sold on it even though they never met in person (in fact, the deal closed while Lindsey was out on maternity leave!).
Today, they are a very happy customer and ValueCloud was worth every penny. For Lindsey, it further reinforced her belief in value-based conversations making all the difference in a deal.
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Throughout the summer, DecisionLink is honoring the Value Heroes of organizations as a part of “Value Heroes: A Summer of Recognition.” We are sharing these stories on our blog, submitted by value heroes themselves or by the sales professionals that they have supported.
Our celebration of Value Heroes concludes after Labor Day with our “Value Heroes Summit,” a town hall, virtual forum where value and sales professionals can connect, share stories and best practices and engage with like-minded professionals.
So, share your value selling stories and join the conversation!