Back to Basics: Demonstrate the Value of Your Solution By Peter Adler Seneca Creek Consulting According to the dictionary, “value” is “A fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged.” How do you represent your “value” to your prospective government client? We start with the obvious; value is perceived as the solution to a known problem experienced by your client. The problem is that several other offerors may well be perceived in a similar manner. Assuming your offerings of goods or services can genuinely attack the problem, then you must demonstrate your superior knowledge of the buyer’s problem, culture, budget, and, possibly, the political climate in which he or she operates. This in-depth understanding on your part permits you to establish value more easily than a competitor with a similar solution but with lesser knowledge of the buyer’s environment. An example of this circumstance could be where a PM needs a network monitoring software solution and proposed changes to the government security requirements are “in the works.” Your knowledge of this possibility and the ability to tie-in your solution’s architecture to this possible change will surely trump a competitor’s offering that does not acknowledge this potential change in environment. Both solutions may satisfy the status quo, but only one offeror demonstrates an understanding of the changes that may be underway and how he will accommodate these changes in his software solution. Invariably, this knowledge and approach to problem solving will trump the competitor who is uninformed about the dynamics of change in the performance requirements. You have just “lost” your commodity status by virtue of your application of understanding and accommodation afforded by your solution. You no longer look the same as your competitors because your demonstrated concrete understanding of the problem has set you and your solution apart from those lacking this knowledge and approach. You have just delivered real value! Can you apply these principles in all sales situations? No, but it is effective in the majority of cases. However, this approach implies serious study and investigation by the offeror who wishes to set itself apart from the competition. Unless they understand truly this value proposition, the odds favor them as a commodity offering while you remain the provider of real value to your government client. (Peter can be contacted at: www.SenecaCreekConsulting.com.)