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<v Speaker 1>Once you understand those key elements from your buyer, everything

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<v Speaker 1>needs to be related to what's important to your buyer.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's not important to your buyer, why are you

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<v Speaker 1>talking about it.

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<v Speaker 2>You're listening to the Audible Ready Podcast, the show that

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<v Speaker 2>helps you and your teams sell more faster. We'll feature

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<v Speaker 2>sales leaders sharing their best insights on how to create

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<v Speaker 2>a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue growth.

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<v Speaker 2>Presented by the team at Force Management, a leader in

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<v Speaker 2>B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started.

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<v Speaker 3>Hello, I'm Rachel Klett Miller with an audible Ready sales podcast.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you for listening. Today. We are going to spend

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<v Speaker 3>our time in this episode talking about differentiation. John Kaplan

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<v Speaker 3>joins me today. Hi John, Hey Rachel, how are we

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<v Speaker 3>different and better? We all want to be selling a

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<v Speaker 3>highly differentiated solution, but sometimes that differentiation isn't so obvious

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<v Speaker 3>to us as salespeople. We need to work to determine

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<v Speaker 3>how we can position our features and functions in a

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<v Speaker 3>way that has value for the customer. So John, let's

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<v Speaker 3>just start with short discussion on where reps most often

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<v Speaker 3>go wrong with differentiation.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you know, I think that the some of the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest challenges are is that, you know, reps don't articulate

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<v Speaker 1>it in a way that has, you know, meaning to

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<v Speaker 1>the buyer. They get a little cocky about it and

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<v Speaker 1>feel like they can win the deal alone on differentiation,

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<v Speaker 1>and many sellers don't know how to set it up

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<v Speaker 1>in a conversation. You know, It's like it's like giving

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<v Speaker 1>away a punchline too early. And lastly, most companies don't

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<v Speaker 1>do a good enough job arming their sellers with the

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge and skills about the company differentiation and how to

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<v Speaker 1>position it properly.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's understanding that differentiation, but how what it means

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<v Speaker 3>to the buyer, which is a difficult part. So let's

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<v Speaker 3>talk about what you do right. First. You have to

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<v Speaker 3>have a solid understanding every differentiation, and what we mean

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<v Speaker 3>by that is you have to know what makes your

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<v Speaker 3>solution different and or better than competitive alternatives.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. At Force Management we break differentiation into three major categories.

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<v Speaker 1>Unique differentiation and this is the differentiation that it has

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<v Speaker 1>value to the customer and only you can do it.

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<v Speaker 1>So therefore, you want to get this differentiation influenced into

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<v Speaker 1>the required capabilities and you'll win every time. So if

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<v Speaker 1>you have unique differentiation and the customer sets it's required,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, and you get it into the required capabilities,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll win it every time. And you know, the way

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<v Speaker 1>the world works today, though it is today's unique, differentiation

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<v Speaker 1>becomes comparative in the future, so if it's any good,

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to get copied. So that's why we also

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<v Speaker 1>talk about another one called comparative differentiation, and again it

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<v Speaker 1>has value to the customer and others say they can

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<v Speaker 1>do it, but how you do it is better for

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<v Speaker 1>the customer, and these are where we really compete most

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<v Speaker 1>of the time. And then the last one just for information.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to focus on unique and comparative today, but

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<v Speaker 1>holistic differentiation is powerful as well, and you know, it

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<v Speaker 1>has value to the customer. It tends to be more

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<v Speaker 1>about the company, like company performance, financial stability, background of

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<v Speaker 1>ownership and stuff like that. And in a customer's mind,

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<v Speaker 1>these tend to lower the risk of doing business with

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<v Speaker 1>your company, so they're important. The problem is that reps

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<v Speaker 1>tend to use these too early in the sales cycle

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<v Speaker 1>and they don't get credit.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, they mitigate we always say they mitigate risk, but

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<v Speaker 3>the deals are one and loss. On that comparative differentiation

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<v Speaker 3>most often. So for this conversation, John, let's focus on

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<v Speaker 3>that unique and comparative group. Once you understand, then you

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<v Speaker 3>can go to the customer execute the right type of discovery.

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<v Speaker 3>And it starts with that first basic sales skills uncovering

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<v Speaker 3>customer need.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, like everything we talk about on this podcast, Rachel,

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<v Speaker 1>it's always starts with an outside in with a customer problem.

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<v Speaker 1>You need to uncover the outcomes that they're trying to

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<v Speaker 1>drive and what's required to drive that outcome. It always

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<v Speaker 1>starts with great discovery. You can't use differentiation to your

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<v Speaker 1>advantage if you don't understand how to position it to

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<v Speaker 1>solve a customer problem.

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<v Speaker 3>We have a concept that we use called trap setting questions.

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<v Speaker 3>These are important in discovery.

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<v Speaker 1>Talk about why, Yeah, trap setting questions are really really

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<v Speaker 1>critical and a couple things. We want to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that when we start this conversation, a trap setting question

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<v Speaker 1>is nothing more than a discovery question with the intent

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<v Speaker 1>to trap the competition. You are not trapping the customer. Repeat,

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<v Speaker 1>you are not trapping the customer, So it's a discovery question,

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<v Speaker 1>but the intent to trap the competitor around your differentiator.

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<v Speaker 1>So every morning you need to wake up, know your differentiators,

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<v Speaker 1>and prepare great discovery questions that will set up your differentiation.

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<v Speaker 1>So you've got to remember in discovery, I can't just

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<v Speaker 1>tell someone they have a problem. If I tell them

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<v Speaker 1>they have a problem, they're going to resist me. So

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<v Speaker 1>I have to get them to tell themselves that they

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<v Speaker 1>have a problem. And let me give you quick example.

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<v Speaker 1>So I worked for a software company back in the

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<v Speaker 1>day that had very powered, powerful differentiation. It was called

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<v Speaker 1>bi directional associativity, and what it meant was that a

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<v Speaker 1>change made anywhere in the design through manufacturing process was

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<v Speaker 1>immediately reflected everywhere. So it was like global find and replace,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, for manufacturing and changes and timing of changes

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<v Speaker 1>which significantly impacted money. So I knew that I had

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<v Speaker 1>to get the customer thinking about the pain of making

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<v Speaker 1>changes in the process, and especially late changes. So I'd

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<v Speaker 1>wake up and prepare questions like walk me through the

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<v Speaker 1>last engineering change that created a challenge for you, and

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<v Speaker 1>what impact did that change have on the timing of

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<v Speaker 1>the project? And what impact did that change have on

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<v Speaker 1>the cost of a project? So you know, I kept

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<v Speaker 1>going deeper and deeper. Who ultimately pays for that? You

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<v Speaker 1>were the customer. So I was trying to, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>uncover profitability issues, and so now I have them standing

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<v Speaker 1>in a moment of pain when a change that's made

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<v Speaker 1>in let's say, in an engineering drawing is not reflected

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<v Speaker 1>in manufacturing. And then Rachel, the last thing, which I

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<v Speaker 1>call the crux move, is I have to cement the

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<v Speaker 1>fix for this problem, which is my differentiation in the

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<v Speaker 1>customer's require capabilities. And so i'd follow up with the

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<v Speaker 1>crux move is so, mister and missus customer, it sounds

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<v Speaker 1>like you're going to need to make sure that a

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<v Speaker 1>change made anywhere in the process is reflected everywhere automatically.

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<v Speaker 1>And they would say, yes, absolutely, that would be great.

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<v Speaker 1>And later on, when I was done with my discovery,

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<v Speaker 1>I would pivot to how we did that and tell

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<v Speaker 1>them about our functionality called bi directional associativity. So the

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<v Speaker 1>crux move, you know, took that software company that I

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<v Speaker 1>was talking about from zero to a billion dollars in

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<v Speaker 1>less than ten years and stock splitting five times in

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<v Speaker 1>seven years and forty three straight quarters of never missing

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<v Speaker 1>our number to Wall Street. It was an incredibly important,

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<v Speaker 1>not only incredibly portant differentiator for us, but the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that they taught us how to position it effectively was

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<v Speaker 1>just astronomical in our success.

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<v Speaker 3>I think you bring the way you told that story, John,

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<v Speaker 3>there was one thing I wanted to call out. Once

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<v Speaker 3>you heard the customer mention your differentiation as part of

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<v Speaker 3>the requirements for success, the buy dep directions utivity, you

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<v Speaker 3>didn't just jump into the fact that you had it,

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<v Speaker 3>you said later on, when I was done with my discovery,

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<v Speaker 3>then I would pivot to show how we did that

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<v Speaker 3>and how we did that differently than others.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm glad you caught that. I'm really glad you caught

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<v Speaker 1>that because I have this vision in my head of

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<v Speaker 1>you know, braveheart and mel Gibson yelling hold hold. Because

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<v Speaker 1>what we have a tendency to do is the minute

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<v Speaker 1>we hear anything in a conversation that just smells or

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<v Speaker 1>sniffs like our differentiation, we jump all over it and

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<v Speaker 1>start talking about, you know, how we can do that.

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<v Speaker 1>And you have to get the customer in a position

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<v Speaker 1>that is so critical and so urgent that they know

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<v Speaker 1>they have a problem, they've created their own urgency around

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<v Speaker 1>solving it. So it's totally related to what we always

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<v Speaker 1>talk about in differentiation. And I want to just simplify

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<v Speaker 1>it a little bit, because trap setting questions are nothing

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<v Speaker 1>more than great discovery questions with the intent to trap

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<v Speaker 1>the competitor around the differentiation. So don't over complicate it.

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<v Speaker 3>Right, you're trapping the competitor, and then you're also getting

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<v Speaker 3>the customer to reveal requirements for success that align to

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<v Speaker 3>what you can do. And to say it a different way, John,

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<v Speaker 3>what we were talking about is you have to understand

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<v Speaker 3>the problem fully, right, So when you're holding like Mel

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<v Speaker 3>Gibson in Brave Heart, I mean, it's exciting when you

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<v Speaker 3>hear a requirement that you know you can do better

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<v Speaker 3>than the competition, but you really have to understand that problem,

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<v Speaker 3>what's required to fix it, and importantly, the outcomes that

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<v Speaker 3>the customer is trying to drive all of that information,

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<v Speaker 3>all of those components really allow you to correctly map

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<v Speaker 3>your differentiation to do it in the right way. So

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<v Speaker 3>let's talk about that, John, I want to spend a

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<v Speaker 3>little bit of time on that. We just don't want

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<v Speaker 3>to rattle off our features that we know are differentiated, like,

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<v Speaker 3>oh that's important to you, Oh we can do that.

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<v Speaker 3>Here's right. You need to hold on that a little

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<v Speaker 3>bit too.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, really really good. So once you understand those key

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<v Speaker 1>elements from your buyer, everything needs to be related to

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<v Speaker 1>what's important to your buyer. If it's not important to

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<v Speaker 1>your buyer, why are you talking about it. So you

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<v Speaker 1>have to position that differentiation as it relates to the

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<v Speaker 1>requirements for success and the outcomes they're trying to drive.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's not related to the buyer, don't focus on it.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and you've told a great story so far on

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<v Speaker 3>this podcast. We love the stories. I would love to

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<v Speaker 3>hear a story where you worked a comparative differentiator this

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<v Speaker 3>comparative angle really well, or maybe just where you sucked

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<v Speaker 3>at it. But we can focus on something you did

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<v Speaker 3>well well.

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<v Speaker 1>No, I got one. This one. This one was a

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<v Speaker 1>cliffhanger for me, but it's one of my favorites on

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<v Speaker 1>this topic. So it's when I was selling software and

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<v Speaker 1>I was closing. I was in a closing meeting with

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<v Speaker 1>the CEO of the company, and we've done an incredible

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<v Speaker 1>job with discovery. We found out which critical project was

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<v Speaker 1>in trouble and demonstrated how our software could solve those

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<v Speaker 1>project issues. You know, way better than anyone else. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm smiling like a cheshire cat. When all of a sudden,

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<v Speaker 1>the CEO says to me, mister Kaplan, we have a problem.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm thinking to myself, okay, I'm always prepared for objections,

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<v Speaker 1>but this one almost got me. This one almost got me.

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<v Speaker 1>And I said, you know, what's the problem? And he

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<v Speaker 1>told me the color of your screen is blue and

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<v Speaker 1>not green, and which was a true statement, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was so simple it was I couldn't tell if he

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<v Speaker 1>was kidding. So I thought he was kidding me. And

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<v Speaker 1>so luckily I was trained extremely well, you know, by

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<v Speaker 1>my company and about you know, the importance of differentiation

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<v Speaker 1>and how to properly position it. So after settling myself

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<v Speaker 1>and holding my composure, I asked a discovery question. So

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<v Speaker 1>when in doubt, ask a question. So I said, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>mister CEO, the color of our user interface is blue,

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<v Speaker 1>but can you tell me what problem that creates for you?

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<v Speaker 1>And he answered, you know, my engineers are telling me

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<v Speaker 1>that they've been looking at a you know, a green

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<v Speaker 1>screen for over ten years and it's distracting for their work.

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<v Speaker 1>And I instantly knew that this was the last ditch

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<v Speaker 1>effort by my competitor, who was about to lose the account.

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<v Speaker 1>They had a green screen, and after all the validation

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<v Speaker 1>events that we did proving our technology, all that they

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<v Speaker 1>come up with was the color of the screen. So

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<v Speaker 1>I immediately went to the final required capabilities. And I

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<v Speaker 1>want you to just listen to this point, audience, please,

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<v Speaker 1>this is so important learning moment for me and my

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<v Speaker 1>life as a seller. So I immediately went to the

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<v Speaker 1>required capabilities that have been agreed upon it by the customer.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no screen color listed, so no problem, I said,

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<v Speaker 1>no problem, ceo, here's a list of your required capabilities.

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<v Speaker 1>At the top of the list was what we were

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<v Speaker 1>talking about earlier, is bi directional associativity. So I'll add

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<v Speaker 1>green screen to the list. And then I asked, can

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<v Speaker 1>you stack rank these for me? And so I went

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<v Speaker 1>through and asked if green screen was more important than next,

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<v Speaker 1>if it was more important than why, And on each one,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, of the previously agreed upon requirements, it wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>more important than any of them. So in the end,

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<v Speaker 1>green screen wound up last. And it was one of

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<v Speaker 1>my favorite interactions with a business owner when the CEO

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<v Speaker 1>said to me, John, that was well done. I wish

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<v Speaker 1>my sellers could do that. I'll take care of the

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<v Speaker 1>green screen issue. We're all good and so I really

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<v Speaker 1>really have contemplated that over the years, is that if

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<v Speaker 1>I've done a good job positioning my differentiation, it should

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<v Speaker 1>show up in the required capabilities. If somebody brings up,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, another required capability, don't be afraid to go

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<v Speaker 1>back to or they bring up some difference between you

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<v Speaker 1>and the competitor in this case, don't be afraid to

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<v Speaker 1>go back to the required capabilities and just have a

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<v Speaker 1>discussion about those. And in the end, you know, even

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<v Speaker 1>if it's a required cap even if it is a

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<v Speaker 1>some type of differentiation. In this case, I guess you

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<v Speaker 1>could call it comparative. However, we started this podcast by

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<v Speaker 1>saying it has to add value to the customer. Green

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<v Speaker 1>screen in the end did not add value to the

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<v Speaker 1>customer that was overwhelming enough to change the require capabilities.

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<v Speaker 1>So it was such a huge learning moment for me.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh, that's great, and we've all had to deal with

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<v Speaker 3>our own green screen.

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<v Speaker 1>It's right, it's right green screen moments. I love that hashball.

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<v Speaker 3>We have a great podcast also with Marty Mercer on

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<v Speaker 3>stack breaking the required capabilities in your favor. I'll go

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<v Speaker 3>ahead and link that in the show notes for everyone else,

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you for the conversation, John my pleasure. All right,

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<v Speaker 3>thank you to all of you for listening.

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<v Speaker 4>At force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into

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<v Speaker 4>elite teams. Our proven methodologies deliver programs that build company

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<v Speaker 4>alignment and fuel repeatable revenue growth. Give your teams the

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<v Speaker 4>ability to execute the growth strategy at the point of sale.

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<v Speaker 4>Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our results.

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<v Speaker 4>Let's get started. Visit us at forcemanagement dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>You've been listening to the Audible Ready podcast. To not

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<v Speaker 2>miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite

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<v Speaker 2>podcast player. Until next time.