Winning consistent good work requires empathy in sales. Digital organizations that first identify and understand their prospect’s problem and tailor their message to how they are uniquely capable of solving it will secure work that benefits the business and keeps employees happy and engaged.
Unfortunately, most digital shops sell using a list of services or deliverables. You need a website? We do that. You need a mobile app developed? We do that. You need a digital ad campaign spun up? We do that. When companies sell this way, they skip discovering the underlying need for the deliverable requested.
If you’re the expensive “apple,” and you haven’t demonstrated why the extra cost is worth it, well, good luck winning the work!
Selling on deliverables does very little to set you apart from other shops that offer the same services. It fails to demonstrate the unique value you bring to customers. In the prospect’s mind, they’re comparing apples-to-apples. When it comes time for them to decide which company to partner with, they compare statements of work to see who will provide the most deliverables for the best price. If you’re the expensive “apple,” and you haven’t demonstrated why the extra cost is worth it, well, good luck winning the work!
Perhaps most importantly, not all prospects are equal. Your team is better at — and more passionate about — solving certain problems than others. When you put the customer’s problem first in the sales process, you can prioritize the projects where you’ll deliver the greatest value for your customers, employees, and business.
Defining your value to find good work
Differentiating yourself and finding people that will pay for your value is hard. It’s equally tough to find opportunities that keep employees motivated and engaged. Finding good work starts by developing a shared internal understanding of the unique value you deliver. Defining this requires involvement from every part of your organization, including leadership, sales, account management, and delivery.
We recommend the exercises below to find your differentiated value.
1. Look to your experience and what you’ve learned
When defining your differentiated value in the market, it’s helpful to start by first looking at what you've done well before. Brainstorm significant problems that your team has helped clients solve. Take a look at those big projects you worked on and ask the delivery and creative teams questions like:
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What was the root problem the customer was facing and how did we solve it?
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What were their underlying fears, aspirations and goals?
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What do your best customers have in common with each other?
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What are these customers’ specific needs, and how were we uniquely capable to help them?
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What is the unique business value we delivered by solving these problems for customers?
These exercises help you clearly see where your team excels — and where your team’s skillset, methods, and processes are most mutually beneficial to customers. Nuggets of information like these will be impactful for sales positioning and messaging.
2. Share insights between sales and delivery
Tension between sales and delivery is common at digital shops that haven’t clearly defined their unique value. Designers and engineers get frustrated that the sales team isn’t selling “good” work. Sales reps feel like they are fighting a losing battle because prospects keep telling them they’re priced too high.
Creating a communication loop between sales and delivery can unearth insights that help the sales team position the organization’s value more effectively and win good work. Let’s say a digital shop that designs websites keeps losing deals because prospects choose less expensive options. Rather than get frustrated with delivery for pricing too high, sales could meet with delivery to better understand how their processes and methods are different from the competition and why this should matter to prospects. This “why” should be core to how sales positions their pitch.
Let’s apply this thinking to a client that wants to build a mobile app that will get through the FDA approval process. The client asks for a scope of work from a digital shop that’s done this successfully and one that hasn’t. The shop that’s done this before has already figured out how to solve all kinds of challenges related to FDA regulations, compliance, and quality assurance. They’ve developed unique methods to drive these types of projects through to success. Their scope of work is also more expensive. If this shop hopes to win the deal, sales needs to know — from delivery — why their method and experience warrants a higher cost and how it will deliver greater value. Without this information, sales will compete on price (and lose).
3. Figure out what “good” work means for you
Finding consistent work is relatively easy, but finding good consistent work is tricky. Good work creates opportunities for your business, teams, and employees by leveraging everyone’s unique skillset and domain expertise. It’s work that your team feels confident delivering on in a way that exceeds client expectations.
Figuring out what this good work is and how to communicate about it can be challenging. It can feel intangible and subjective. But organizations that take the time to define what good work means to them and why they are uniquely positioned to deliver it will stand above the rest. These businesses avoid the game of selling commodities and instead sell based on how valuable it is for them to be the ones to solve a client’s problem. (Similar to value-based pricing.)
These organizations (like the digital shop that helps companies get their mobile apps through FDA approval) sell proven methods, domain expertise, and their ability to understand and proactively solve their customers’ problems. They shift their message from things like, “we design mobile apps” to more solution-driven ones like, “we understand med device and can help you get through the FDA approval process.”
Culture benefits of leading with empathy
Taking a customer-first approach to sales has significant workplace culture benefits. It creates a shared understanding of the company’s unique value proposition, why it's something to be proud of, and why it matters to customers. It aligns teams and creates connection.
The sales team knows the delivery team is working hard to solve customers’ problems. Delivery knows that sales is working to position them to deliver the most impactful work. Teams communicate, culture improves, and the business secures more good work.
How Parallax helps you deliver on your differentiated value
Parallax creates a shared perspective to align the ambition of your business with the ambitions of your people. We intentionally connect the dots between sales and delivery by giving teams transparency into insights and reporting and providing the tools needed to help sales more easily and consistently sell methods that align with delivery’s ability to deliver value.
If this sounds interesting, give us a shout. We’d love to show you how Parallax can help your team deliver on your differentiated value.
