Hardwood Floors February/March 2024

SALES SAVVY BUSINESS BEST PRACTICES

from the Show-Me State A Sales Lesson

Vandiver’s sentiment also could describe the buyer’s mindset. Sellers often use frothy language to convince buyers. For example, “We have extraordinarily exceptional customer service and quality beyond measure.” This statement may be factual, but it’s far from compelling. Buyers desire more than “frothy eloquence”; buyers desire outcomes. Value-added sellers leverage two value types to persuade buyers: perceived value and performance value. Perceived value raises the buyer’s expectation; it’s your promise. Performance value is delivering on the promise; it’s the value received. Perceived value highlights what is possible, allowing the buyer to dream. Performance value transfers the buyer’s dreams to reality. This puts sellers in a tough spot. How can salespeople demonstrate performance value if the buyer hasn’t experienced your solution? Simple. Show the proof. Proof sources bridge the gap between perceived value and performance value.

I’m from Missouri, the Show Me state. Missouri’s U.S. Congressman, Willard Duncan Vandiver (1897 to 1903), is often credited for giving Missouri this unofficial slogan. At a Naval banquet, he said: “I come from a state that raises corn, cotton, and cockleburs, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.”

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