The difference between value and sales is like the difference between show and tell. One will educate your prospects, the other will try to get them to buy. The problem is that a lot of salespeople will want to jump to catchy slogans or offer up solutions that they can provide because in their eyes, those are the value.
Those lines may work with your sales leads, but getting your prospects to bite can be a different story. They get plenty of sales and marketing emails from competing companies already, and those messages are all trying to do the same thing: present to your prospects why they’re the better option. Those reasons usually bank on cost, quality, features, or a combination of these—or, in some cases, the “we’re a one-stop shop” approach to solve all of your prospects’ needs.
But remember what I said above: value is to show as sales is to tell. If your competitors are telling your prospects why they’re supposedly better, why not stand out and be the one who’s showing them that you are? That comes in the form of education: demonstrating that you know what’s going on in their market space and how it influences their chances for new business, as well as the solutions you’ve found to fix those problems—without asking them to buy from you to do it.
Here’s an example.
Value statement: “Machine learning is leading to advancements in manufacturing that could increase production by x percent.” Get them interested to read more about what those advancements are, and how they could implement them.
Sales statement: “Looking for more efficiency? Partner with us! Our advanced robotics will help you develop a more streamlined approach to enhance the productivity of your supply chain.” You’ve told them you’re here to sell, so unless they’re immediately ready (which prospects rarely are) then you probably won’t hear from them.
People are more prone to consider your products and services when they know that you’re an authority in your field. Give them time to digest small pieces of educational content that will establish this authority and nurture them toward a call with you.
