Doug DavidoffOur study of best practice value creation demonstrates that there are three opportunities when your sales force can add value. The first, and most important, opportunity is called The Diagnosis Phase.
One of the most meaningful ways a salesperson can create value is by helping a client or prospect identify and understand a problem either the prospect didn't know they had or they didn't fully understand. We call this process Diagnosis, as it is very similar to the process the medical profession goes through.
Most buyers are aware of the symptoms (problems) that are bothering them. Rarely are they fully aware of the cause of those problems. This is the reason that so many "solutions" fail to solve problems, and why buyers are less interested in "solutions providers."
If your sales process helps buyers more fully understand their problems and the causes of the problems that they are dealing with, you will immediately differentiate yourself from your competition and provide your prospects and customers something they would be willing to pay for.
Doing this will put you well on your way to bypassing commoditization and competition; and providing your sales efforts a critical foundation to fast growth.