Creating A Strong Value Proposition In Sales Presentations

ROI presentations are deal killers. Gong's data shows a 27% drop in close rates when reps present ROI at any point in the sales process. Think about it from the buyer's perspective: "The ROI of our solution is 300%" sounds like every other vendor pitch they've heard this month. Executives tune out because they've been burned by inflated ROI promises before. Smart reps skip the ROI theater entirely. Instead, they build business cases that executives actually care about. Here's the blueprint: #1 Assess their current state. Document what's happening now based on actual stakeholder conversations. Their goals, obstacles, and challenges. Make it specific to their situation, not generic industry problems. #2 Run a problem cost analysis Quantify the real financial impact. Which metrics are suffering? Direct costs, indirect costs, opportunity costs. What's the monthly burn rate of doing nothing? Get specific numbers, not ballpark estimates. #3 Identify the root cause Identify why problems exist, not just what problems exist. Show the underlying issues that need addressing. This separates consultants from vendors. #4 Give them multiple outcome scenarios Present three paths: status quo, conservative improvement, and optimistic improvement. Ranges feel realistic. Single "guaranteed" outcomes feel like sales BS. #5 Give them an implementation reality check Be honest about what success requires. Time investment, resource allocation, change management challenges. Transparency builds credibility. The shift is subtle but powerful: ROI presentations = "Here's why our product is great" Business cases = "Here's why your current situation is unsustainable" One focuses on your solution. The other focuses on their problem. When you help executives understand the true cost of inaction, price becomes secondary. Stop selling ROI. Start selling necessity. — Want to see a real coaching call walking through price objections? Go here: https://lnkd.in/gbBjgxxS Sales Leaders: Want to install systems to get your reps crushing quota? DM me.

Time Savings is NOT a value proposition If you are selling on time savings, here is how to make it stronger: I once had a CFO tell me "I don't care about time savings, my team will just play Candy Crush with the time" And this is why Time Savings is horsecrap If you can't connect the dots to what happens with the time...time doesn't matter But that is what most salespeople fail to do, they stop at time alone "We can save you 30% of your time on this thing" That is NOT a value proposition! But this is: >Emotional Value + Time Savings It sounds like we can save you an hour a day, which means you can get home sooner to spend time with your kids, play golf, do something else more important... >Financial Value + Time Savings We calculated that with X time savings you can reduce headcount which is worth Y, not need to hire X people which saves you Y, finish a project worth X faster to get a faster return, focus on these higher value activities which are worth X to the business If you can't connect the dots to Emotional or Financial value, Time Savings doesn't matter Stop sprinkling it on everything like fairy dust and expecting magic, no one believes it Connect the dots to what will happen with the time That is where the real power is 

Want to know if your UVP (Unique Value Proposition) is strong? Ask yourself: "Why should someone choose me over all other options—including doing nothing?" If your answer is vague, filled with buzzwords, or could describe any competitor, your UVP needs work. Example: A small agency initially said: "We help businesses grow with digital marketing." After reworking, they refined it to: "We help B2B consultants generate 5+ high-ticket leads per month—without running paid ads." See the difference? It’s specific, outcome-driven, and makes the right people say, “I need that.” Now, test your UVP. Answer the question. Does it truly stand out?

Narrow your value proposition down to a single, really good question that generates a visceral response. It's the fastest way to get to the heart of your customer's problem and build value from there. For example, I could talk for days about marketing orchestration and collaboration drag and show you case studies of the impact it has and offer a collaboration drag diagnostic to benchmark how your team operates vs others. I could share blog posts and best practice guides and tons of evidence proving we understand how to help your team improve speed to market, agility and internal efficiency. Do more with less! All of that has value, in time. But first, let me ask you a simple question: How many meetings does it take for your team to produce a webinar? I can hear the winces and groans from here. The more viscerally you respond to that question, without every saying a word, the more likely you have the problem. And THAT is a great starting point for a conversation that could more quickly lead to a solid win-win situation. Find a question that gets an immediate non-verbal response. That proves right away that you get it, that you understand the problem, that you've seen it before and know exactly how to get at the heart of it. Workshop up a few of these and try them out. Take them to your next trade show and round-robin them with attendees. A/B test them as subject lines. The biggest groans win.