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Sell value, not products

Updated: 17 Sept 2019

# tech for business

# 4 of 27

Thought:

The ability to sell is the ability to create value and show how it benefits the other party.

Why? How?

You can’t have a business without a sale. And I’d argue you can’t have a job without selling.

Selling is at the centre of every interaction. Whether you’re convincing your friends to go on a hike, talking to someone about them using a product you built, or sending an application to speak at a conference, you’re selling (an idea, a product, or yourself).

And selling can be a difficult skill to develop.

But what is selling exactly?

A sale happens when two (or more) parties willingly enter into an agreement that they both deem fair and exchange money for a good or a service.

Therefore, selling is convincing someone that what you offer is worth them giving up some of their hard-earned money.

To do that, you need to understand what value you bring them.

You cannot sell if you are not offering genuine value to the other party.

Not only does your product/service have to really be good, but you also have to frame it in a way that benefits the other person. You have to talk in terms of what they gain. You have to put yourself in their shoes.

No one buys a product. People and companies buy benefits. They buy dreams. They buy value.

For instance, if you are a lawyer, don’t sell “customized legal advice based on 10 years of experience”, sell “fast and reliable answers to your legal worries.” If you built a task-management product, don’t sell “a tool that lets you see what your coworkers are working on”, sell “no more duplicate work, ever.”

Put your customer at the centre, create true value for them, and they will buy.

Best of luck! And let me know how I can help.

Cheers,

Léa

Léa Oriol

I'm the CEO of Mivvy, a platform where women learn high-value skills from female experts. I'm a software engineer, product maker, and design geek. Let's connect.