Stop focusing on relative improvements when selling B2B!

A conversation from this week (I have different variations of this conversation every month or so):

Him: They just don’t get it. They think small.

Me: What is your value proposition?

Him: We save them a lot of money — 5 percent.

Me: Money is not value… you pay to get value. Besides, no employee in an organization wants to save money.

Him: Of course they do — that's their job!

Me: Can you imagine an employee who wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, “Today I want to save! Money! For my company!”

Him: Our product is also about 12 percent better in [main parameter].

Me: In what parameters would you say you are worse?

Him: None — it’s practically the same product as the one they are currently using.

Me: Are you sure that there are none?

Him. Mmm… yes.

Me: How about the fact that it will take them at least a month of work to finalize their old contract in the middle of the billing period and hash out a new one with you?

Him: …

Me: How about the fact that a malfunction during the installation of your product can jeopardize their whole system?

How about the fact that they’ve got some good business and interpersonal relationships with the other team, something that took them years to build?

How about the fact that recommending a move to your product puts them in a risky position with their boss if you fail?

Him: B2B is terrible… How can you ever break in without strong connections inside?

Me: First of all, stop addressing them as businesses and start addressing them as humans. Then you should offer them the one thing that can influence people to change their minds and to act…

Him: A bribe?

Me: Well, one of two things, I guess. The other one would be a strategic story.

Him: Like about how we started?

Me: No! This is a tale, and it's a boring one…, especially in your case. It should be the story of your client and how their personal journey is going to change with your product. A story of healing transformation. A story of self-fulfillment.

Him: And if I can’t find such story?

Me: I believe you can, but if not, you better go and start developing a better product. Pitching a product without a drama that is capable of engaging people is like whispering in the wind.

Him (after a minute): They just don’t get it!

Me: …No, I guess they don’t.