Having a Value Proposition That Sounds Like Everyone’s

Or Just Being Completely Irrelevant…

Won’t sell anything. When asked,”What does your company do?” or “Tell me about your company.” What should you say?

Five Answers to Avoid

1. We’re a Value-Added Reseller.  Every IT person knows this is code for “We’re one of Cisco’s 65,000 US based resellers” or “One of 2000 SMB resellers joining Check Point’s channel program this year.” Oh, there’s nothing wrong with their technology. In fact both companies have great technology. But trying to convince someone you “Add-Value” won’t go very far.
2. We Design, Deploy, and Manage…Blah Blah Blah. Every reseller designs (code for sells a product), installs hardware and software, and offers some way to manage it. When I hear this answer there’s always a pride in their voice as though they’re the only one who can install and manage a firewall.
3. We Have the Best People. No you don’t. No one can claim to have the best people. That fact is resellers rarely know anything about the team across town unless they’ve just recently hired someone from their closest competitor.
4. We’re Check Point’s (insert whatever brand you carry) No. 1 Reseller. No one cares. At least the prospect doesn’t care. Being Check Point of Cisco’s best reseller usually means your sales people are great at selling stuff. But  there’s really no value to the customer in this self promotional statement.
5. “Let Us Come In And Show You Our Corporate Presentation.” I’ve saved this one for last because it’s my favorite. Let me guess…Company name, products we sell, companies we’ve done business with, certifications we have. And oh, by the way we’re their number one reseller, our people are better…buy from us!

Over the next couple of week’s I’ll provide you with some ideas on how to answer these questions. More importantly we’ll take a look at how to construct a stronger value proposition that communicates relevance and trust with your prospect. Remember, no one wants to hear more about your company until they think you can solve a problem they have right now.

2016, David Stelzl

For more insights on how to present a compelling message that moves people, Check Out My Book, The House & The Cloud…This one book is so important I’ll send it to you almost free!