How do you respond when the customer asks, "Why should I do business with your company?" Most salespeople fail to differentiate themselves from the competition. These salespeople sink into the bad habit of making "me-too" bland sales presentations. You can build a compelling value-added sales presentation by examining the content of your message. Demonstrate your performance value. How well does your solution—your products and/or your services—perform for the customer? What is the utility value of your solution? How does it bring value to the customer?

Price is what buyers pay, value is what they receive. Your job is to convince buyers that your solution is a bargain for the price you charge. There are three ways to demonstrate your performance value.

Sell synergy. How does your product or service add value to the customer's product or service? The synergy of your product or service adding value to their solution means that your solution is a vital part of what they take to market. For example, you could sell a no-name brand personal computer and as long as you apply stickers to the front that say "Intel inside" and "Microsoft Windows," consumers assume it's a top-notch system. The components and software—Intel and Microsoft—add value to the computer. This synergy allows the computer to compete aggressively with name-brand products. How do you bring synergy to the customer's solution?

Sell opportunity value. What does your product or service allow the customer to do tomorrow that he cannot do today? What business can he now pursue that he could not have pursued before purchasing your solution? What problems can he now solve that he could not have solved previously? Your product or service may present customers with opportunities they did not know existed before doing business with your company. A powerful application of this concept is when you help customers re-capture a missed opportunity from their past.

Sell investment value. Buyers perceive your solution as an expense or an investment. When they view your solution as an expense, they think about the money leaving their company. If they view your solution as an investment, they think about the return they are receiving—the money returning to them. Sell the investment value of your solution. Does it represent an investment in product quality for the customer, an investment in better service to their customers, or an investment in employee satisfaction?

You cannot charge value-added prices for generic solutions. You must demonstrate that your solution goes beyond the generic—that it is a value-added solution. You add value through your synergy, the opportunities you help customers pursue, and how your solution is an investment for them.