The Ultimate Guide to Articulating Differentiation

The Ultimate
Guide to
Articulating
Differentiation
Help Your Sales Team Stand Out
From The Competition
®
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 1

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ARTICULATING DIFFERENTIATION
Help Your Sales Team Stand Out From The Competition
In complex B2B sales, there’s always a competitor in the sales equation. Even if your biggest
competitor is “No Decision,” effectively articulating your differentiation, and the value you provide
to your customer can make the difference between a closed deal and a lost opportunity.
HELP YOUR SALES TEAM ARTICULATE
DIFFERENTIATION.
IN THIS PLAYBOOK, YOU’LL LEARN:
The Three Types of Differentiators
Two Questions that will Help Move an Opportunity Forward
The One Thing that Could Derail Your Next Opportunity
How to Enable Your Sellers to Demonstrate Differentiation
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 2

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENTIATORS
Three Ways to Demonstrate You’re Better than the Competition
Best-in-class sellers know how to effectively articulate differentiation in a way that connects back to the
positive business outcomes their customers are trying to achieve. Having a solid grasp on how your products,
services and company are different and better than the competition creates the opportunity for you to show
value to your buyer. Differentiators can be broken down into three categories:
UNIQUE DIFFERENTIATORS
Unique differentiators describe attributes of your offerings that are not
available from other competitors. They are helpful during the early stages
of the buying cycle when customers are defining their decision criteria. If
a unique differentiator is part of their required capabilities, then you are
likely going to win the opportunity.
COMPARATIVE DIFFERENTIATORS
Comparative differentiators describe attributes of your offerings that
are superior to or different from competitive alternatives. They play a
critical role in the middle stages of the buying cycle, when customers are
evaluating different vendors and available options.
HOLISTIC DIFFERENTIATORS
Holistic differentiators are less about features and functions and more
about your company in general (e.g., financial stability, share of the
marketplace, etc…). Holistic differentiators may include financial stability,
company longevity and position within the industry. These differentiators
are most helpful during the latter stages of the buying cycle, when
mitigating risk and committing to a vendor are top of mind.
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 3

SO WHAT? SAYS WHO?
Two Questions that Will Help You Win an Opportunity
Effectively articulating the value and differentiation of your
products and services can make or break an opportunity. If you
can’t describe to your customer how your solution provides
value and how it is different or better than your competitors,
one of two things will happen:
1. You’ll be forced to lower your price to win the business.
2. You’ll end up losing the opportunity.
Differentiators play a critical role in the middle stages of the
buying cycle, when customers are evaluating available options. The right differentiators should map to your
customers’ needs and influence their buying criteria. They should also be defensible.
Rattling off reasons why you’re unique or better than your competition won’t get you very far, if you can’t
show customer value. The next time you’re preparing for an upcoming sales conversation, improve your sales
messaging by answering these two questions, “So what?” and “Says who?”
SO WHAT?
First, identify the problem your product helps your buyer solve. Then ask yourself,
“So what?”
• “So what” if you can increase the speed in which Company Z is able to go to market?
• “So what” if you can automate their billing process?
Answer the “so what” in a way that articulates your value. How does your solution increase revenue, decrease
cost or mitigate risk? Here’s an example of a great answer:
“Our software will double the speed that your products can go to market;
therefore, saving you $100,000 per quarter.”
This answer demonstrates the differentiation in a way that maps to the Positive Business Outcomes the
customer is trying to achieve (quicker time to market at a lower cost).
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 4

SHOW THE EVIDENCE. WIN THE OPPORTUNITY.
Says Who?
SAYS WHO?
After you’ve provided the “So What?,” provide the proof with
the “Says Who?” Give tangible evidence that your company
can do what you say it can do.
Here’s an example:
“I know we can do that at your company because at
Company X, we implemented this solution and cut
their time-to-market by 50%, saving them $500,000.”
Providing the “so what” and the “says who” will help you
effectively show how you’re different and/or better than the competition, as long as you offer the right
context.
The answers to these questions should not just articulate your value and differentiation. They should also map
directly to each customer’s required capabilities.
If you can’t connect your value and differentiation to the customer’s problems, emphasizing even your
strongest product benefits won’t win you the opportunity.
Without connecting your value to specific customer pain points, your “value” statements won’t necessarily
show value to customers. In fact, your customers may feel as though they’re paying a premium for things
that aren’t important and won’t necessarily contribute to their success. Your products are going to seem too
expensive, and you’ll be stuck in the dreaded price-zone.
Instead, improve your sales messaging by answering “So What?” and “Says Who?” in a way that shows how
you can solve your customer’s problems. Link your value with their needs. Command your message and
increase your chances to close the opportunity.
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 5

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU
The Slide that Could Derail Your Opportunity
Think about your last sales presentation. Did it contain the
slide that talked all about your company? When your company
was started, how many employees you have, the number of
customers, your locations all over the globe….
‘Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Customer – Look at our logos!’
If you’re a veteran seller, you likely have made this mistake.
Everyone has. It’s difficult not to talk about your company
in a sales presentation. However, if you’re trying to win an
opportunity, you need to listen and focus your conversation on the customer.
Your company may be long established and have a great history of pleasing customers. These factors could
differentiate you in the marketplace, to a point. Many sellers have been trained to talk about these holistic
differentiators early in the sales process, when you don’t have much else to talk about. But, follow this tactic,
and you’ll run the risk of derailing any opportunity before it’s even begun.
TIMING IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL IN
THE SALES PROCESS
Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the conversations
you’re having with your customers. Potential customers really don’t
care about your financial stability or company culture when they’re
trying to solve a problem. They want to know how your solutions
can help them achieve their business objectives.
Early in the buying process, the client is much more focused on
communicating his or her needs and evaluating how your company’s
products or services match up with those requirements. This is
when you need to highlight how your solutions can help alleviate
the specific challenges faced by the customer. It isn’t the time to
provide your company story, no matter how good it is.
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 6

HOLISTIC DIFFERENTIATORS
Holistic differentiators make a customer feel good about doing business with you and may be most useful in
confirming that the customer is, indeed, making the right decision in choosing your products. Save them for
late in the buying process.
In the early stages of the buying cycle, listen and allow the customer to communicate his or her needs. Then,
provide specific ways your products and services fulfill those needs. When you have effectively made the case
that your company has the right solution for the customer, seal the deal using holistic differentiators.
Holistic differentiators do one thing. They mitigate risk. They help make your soon-to-be customer feel
comfortable about doing business with you. If you find yourself discussing your company’s financial stability
or its leading position in the industry, instead of engaging your customers in a discussion of their needs and
requirements, it’s time to retool your approach.
Logos make for nice and colorful PowerPoint slides. Mapping solutions to problems make for signed
opportunities.
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 7

ARTICULATING DIFFERENTIATION
Checklist for Seller Success
USE DISCOVERY QUESTIONS
The better your discovery process, the better you’ll be able to articulate differentiation. Effective discovery
questions uncover customer needs and pain points that help you effectively differentiate your solutions
throughout the sales cycle.
MAP YOUR CUSTOMER NEEDS TO YOUR SOLUTIONS
Once you’ve uncovered the buyer’s needs, articulate your differentiators in a way that speaks to those pain
points and business objectives. Make your differentiation relevant to buyer needs.
REMEMBER THE COMPETITION
Buyers want options. Your competitor is always part of the equation. Understand what the competition is
offering and what differentiators they’ll be articulating. Be audible-ready early in the sales cycle to present
your differentiators and help set the decision criteria.
RIGHT DIFFERENTIATORS, RIGHT TIME
Buyers care mostly about how your solution can solve their problems. Use unique or comparative
differentiators early in the sales cycle. Use holistic differentiators at the end of the buying cycle to help mitigate
risk.
SHOW YOUR VALUE
Remember the “So What?” Make sure your differentiators articulate value. Tie your differentiation to how your
solution can increase revenue, decrease cost or mitigate risk.
PROVIDE DEFENSIBLE DIFFERENTIATION
Provide the proof. Your differentiators need to provide tangible evidence that you can do what you say you can
do as well as what the customer needs you to do.
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 8

DRIVE SALES TEAM SUCCESS
Enable Your Sales Force to Articulate Differentiation
If your prospects are making a complex B2B vendor decision, they’ve likely done a lot of research on your
company and your products before you even start your sales conversation. When potential customers eventually
talk to a salesperson, they often don’t need or want to have product-focused discussions. Instead, they’re
interested in how your offerings will help them remove pain and/or achieve gain; they’re looking to engage in
a problem/solution dialogue.
A sales messaging framework can give an entire sales team the ability to articulate the value and differentiation
of your product and service offerings, leading to successful sales conversations that link customers’
high-priority needs to your business solutions.
CHOOSE A CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION THAT
DRIVES RESULTS
Is your sales team articulating your value in a way that differentiates your solutions? Without a focus
on consistent problem/pain/solution messaging, you may find your sales team experiencing lower
sales volumes and reduced margins, while struggling to meet their goals.
If you wipe the slate clean every time you launch a new program, you’ll be left with one-off
achievements rather than long-term success. Our Command of the Message® methodology drafts
into your best practices, while giving you the tools necessary to drive repeatable and measurable
results.
Align your organization behind your value message. Drive bottom-line impact, including:
• Higher competitive win rates
• Higher average deal size
• Greater deal margins
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 9

DRIVE PREDICTABLE REVENUE GROWTH.
IMPROVE SALES PRODUCTIVITY.
LET’S GET STARTED.
Let us help you create a more efficient and effective sales force
that creates bottom-line impact.
CONTACT US
®
© GROWTHPLAY 2016 | GROWTHPLAY.COM 10