How to Communicate Your Value Without Sounding Salesy

Research & Sources / Communication & Influence

At a busy market, one seller shouts: “Best tomatoes! Cheapest in town! Buy now!” People walk past faster. A few stalls down, a farmer quietly explains which tomatoes are best for sauce and which for salad, and asks what you are cooking tonight. You buy from the farmer. Both wanted to sell. Only one sounded like they wanted to help.

Why “salesy” feels bad

Many entrepreneurs and professionals are uncomfortable talking about their value. They do not want to sound like the market crier. So they say too little, hide behind modesty, or talk only about features and process.

The result is that good people with good offers are often outsold by louder people with weaker offers. Modesty does not help the client either. If you can genuinely solve their problem, staying quiet is not humble. It is unhelpful.

Buyers have changed

Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon and Nicholas Toman found that business buyers today often do their own research and define their needs before they speak to a seller.¹ They do not need someone to recite a brochure. They value someone who brings a new insight or helps them see their problem more clearly.

That is good news for anyone who dislikes pushy selling. The most effective approach today is the least salesy one: understand, then help.

Start with their problem

Neil Rackham’s research on thousands of sales calls found that in larger sales, successful sellers spent much more time asking about problems and their consequences, and much less time describing their product.² When the buyer has explained their problem in their own words, your offer no longer sounds like a pitch. It sounds like an answer.

Talk about outcomes, not features

“We offer a 12-week programme with weekly sessions” describes what you do. “Most clients leave with one clear priority and a plan their team actually follows” describes what changes for them. Lead with the change.

Use proof, not adjectives

“We are very experienced and highly professional” are empty words. Everybody says them. A short, concrete example says much more: “A logistics company we worked with cut its proposal time from two weeks to three days.” Robert Cialdini’s research on influence shows that people are strongly guided by what others like them have done, a principle he calls social proof.³

Be willing to say “not a fit”

Nothing builds trust faster than telling someone honestly when you are not the right choice. It shows that your advice is about them, not your sales target.

What this means for you this week

• Rewrite your one-sentence description as an outcome for the client.
• Collect three short client examples with a concrete result each.
• In your next sales conversation, ask about the problem for ten minutes before mentioning your offer.
• Delete every adjective from your website’s main page that a competitor could also use.

Don’t shout about tomatoes. Ask what they are cooking.

Sources

1. Adamson, B., Dixon, M. & Toman, N. (2012). The End of Solution Sales. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgBuyers increasingly define their needs before talking to sellers; the best sellers bring new insight rather than waiting for stated needs.
2. Rackham, N. (1988). SPIN Selling. Routledge (originally Gower). routledge.comThe Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff question model for large sales.
3. Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Harnessing the Science of Persuasion. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgSix principles of influence: liking, reciprocity, social proof, consistency, authority and scarcity.