How do you differentiate yourself and your offer from the competition in a crowded market?

To differentiate oneself, i would focus on the following 1) Understand customer's needs deeply 2) Highlight my USPs 3) Provide exceptional service and support 4) Focus on Relationship building across the customer buying organization 5) Create a strong digital presence for stake holders to engage. In essence, i would make it easy for my clients to engage with me in a chaotic marketplace !

Exactly, I had a call today speaking with a General Contractor. Said he loved his current painter but he is on his hands and knees cleaning a floor with with denatured alcohol. After listening a bit more and speaking, I had him send me some building plans and pointed out that our company will make sure he isn’t on his hands and knees when we complete our jobs.

Absolutely right. And make sure you are focused on the benefits that matter to the important executives/stakeholders. For example saving time spent on a process is 'nice', but if that results in the business being faster to market with new products and services that is more important to senior executives wanting to win new business.

Knowing a prospect's DiSC profile can help salespeople anticipate objections and tailor their responses accordingly. For instance, if a prospect has a Conscientiousness profile, they may have concerns about the details and logistics of a product or service, which a salesperson can address proactively. Furthermore, understanding a prospect's DiSC profile can help salespeople build rapport and trust. By speaking in a way that resonates with a prospect's preferences, salespeople can create a sense of connection and understanding. This can lead to a more positive sales experience for both the salesperson and the prospect, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a successful sale.

People buy from people they like and companies they trust. Don't shy away from connecting with your customers on a personal level. Get to know what drives them, why do they get up in the morning? What keeps the up at night? When it comes to the early days of building a relationship with a prospect, it's important to not be 'selling' to them every minute. Instead, seek to get to know them, their company and their challenges before even thinking about pitching them. This is how you earn trust.

I spent 20 successful years in business development. The last 5, were exceptionally successful as I kept asking myself how can I be more valuable to my customers and the answer was solve problems more efficently so I undertook studying and becoming a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt. As a result, it improved my credibility with the customer, and I was able to organize and solve problems they had more efficiently which translated to better relationships and better outcomes (more sales). Be able to understand your customer and come to the table with insight on how to accomplish what is important to them and you'll improve your success.

Additionally, sell yourself and what you are willing and able to do to be a value add to the customer. In a traditional b2b sale, be with the customer through implementation. Post implementation set up a 2 week, 1 month and 3 month follow up to discuss what is working, what is not working and solutions. Position additional products you sell as additional solutions and as always ask for referrals. In a Pharma sale, sell yourself as a resource for pull through and act as a patient advocate. Be a practice partner that is as welcome in the office as their regular staff. Position your product/s for additional patient types and/or additional products in your bag.

Fully agree with all of these suggestions. I will add these nuances. USP is only as good as the Reps ability to apply it to the business issues that matter the most. Ideally these are strategic imperatives that the C-Suite views as priorities. Far too many Reps default to a " one size fits all" approach to their value prop. Reps need to do the hard work and gain a deeper understanding of these strategic imperatives and explain how the solution enables the customer to address these.