How to Create Value With Your Sales Message (in 3 Steps).

Become a Better Sales Rep Series — Post #3

“Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value.
Look around at how people want to get more out of life than they put in. A man of value will give more than he receives.”

— Albert Einstein

When we try to persuade someone we often want something from them. But as one of my professors from Harvard, Gary Orren, always says, Persuasion is the art and science of inducing a voluntary change in someone’s mind. Persuasion is not about negotiation nor power. Persuasion is about successfully changing somebody’s mind in a way that they want the same thing that you want.

And, one of the core concepts to achieve this is goodwill or benevolence (the quality of being well-meaning towards somebody); or in plain English: make sure you add value not only for you but primarily for them.

Let’s take a look at three simple concepts you can follow to appear more benevolent.

Step #1 — Appeal to Moral

We all have a moral compass. And more importantly, we all share certain aspects of our moral compass with the people around us. In fact, what truly defines a society are the values that people share. Of course, it highly depends on the country you find yourself in.* But if you can navigate the culture, you can easily find common ground and show people that you want to do the right thing. Examples speak louder than explanations. Let me show you.

Message Not Appealing to Moral

I think you might be a little harsh with Diana. I think she’s doing a great job. She’s still learning.

Message Appealing to Moral

I think you might be a little harsh with Diana. She’s been unemployed for two years. Considering this, I think she’s doing a great job. She’s still learning.

Just by adding one short sentence, it’ll be easier for the recipient to understand, relate, and ultimately agree with your point of view. When breaking it down, this example appeals to two very common moral principles in the United States

1. Caring
2. Fairness.

Both together play into a more complex concept that we commonly see in the United States: helping the disadvantaged.

But how does appealing to moral adds value? — Using this technique triggers a primal need and instinct in us: social proof. As human beings, we have always been part of social groups. Having shown that we followed the commonly agreed-upon rules has given us higher chances to survive as people knew they could trust us. In today’s world, this translates to a feeling we all know:

“I don’t want to be the bad guy.”

By reminding people of the moral context and consequences of their actions, we help them to be perceived as forth-coming human beings of look beyond their own benefit and seek to create shared value. Reminding people of this is valuable.

So, when you start writing an important message, make sure you take some time to think about what common values you share with the person you try to convince. It might be hard in the beginning but it’ll get easier with time. Feel free to use this overview of values in the U.S. culture from Boston University and this article on American values from the American Press Institute to get started.

But, always be careful how you phrase appeals to moral. Telling people that their actions would be bad doesn’t help. Remind them in kind ways. Phrase it in a positive context, in a helpful context because you yourself don’t want to perceived as the bad guy either. So, always use the moral value of kindness when using this technique.

• By the way, there is a great book — The Culture Map by Erin Meyer. It’s like an encyclopedia of cultures and their related values. It really helps you to interact with people with different cultural backgrounds; how to treat them with respect; and how to bond across cultures. I came across this book back in the day when an Indian colleague of mine shared it with me. The two of us were working at a mid-sized startup with around 60 employees from over 25 nations. We used that book as a guide with every new hire. It’s a must-have.

Step #2 — Focus on Outcomes

So, if you want to add value to be more persuasive, make sure that people easily understand that listening to you will yield better outcomes. Don’t imply that people know things that are obvious in your head. Let’s look at an example.

No Outcomes Focus

I think we should go with Simon Catering Co over Desmond Catering Co for our next client meeting. I really liked Simon Catering better the last time.

Outcomes Focus

I think we should go with Simon Catering Co over Desmond Catering Co for our next company event. I speak from experience that our clients will be so much more likely to sign the contract after having had their amazing Argentinian steaks.

The first example is dull. It’s your opinion. But why should I care about your opinion? I cannot relate to it. I don’t know what you liked about them. No matter how good our relationship is, I can’t recall your experience. In this context, “like” is an empty word. It doesn’t carry any helpful information.

However, the outcomes-focused example helps your recipient imagine that going with Simon Catering will yield a closed deal. They will see the outcome and the value of your advice.

There are multiple reasons why this works so well:

1. We as humans are beings of reason. We always try to justify things. So make it easy for the person you try to convince by doing the justification work for them.
2. People can relate to things better if they can imagine something. A simple argument doesn’t go that far but, by giving them an outcomes perspective, they can envision themselves earning this outcome by following your advice.
3. People can’t read minds and they don’t necessarily share your experiences. If you don’t explicitly state the outcomes, they might not see them. Make it easy for them.

So, when you want to add value, make sure that people know both your argument and to what outcome it will lead.

Step #3 — Think Beyond Your Ask

Of course, you’re reading this article because you want to convince someone of something. But take a step back and take a moment to think about what you can do for them. When we’re trying to convince somebody of something, we’re oftentimes so focused on the particular issue and ourselves that we think too narrowly.

Let’s look at a few options you have to add additional value.

1. Just ask if you can do anything for them. You don’t even need to be too creative when applying this tactic. Just ask them if you can be of any help to them. This alone makes you appear more valuable. But, be prepared to deliver if they ask for your help.
2. Take some work off their shoulders, proactively. Do you know that they need something to get done and you do have the skills and it wouldn’t be too much effort for you? Well, just do it. This is the purest form of adding value. You provide something to them that helps them to reach their outcomes. They will be grateful and much more open to a conversation about something that matters to you.
3. Provide information they might need. You’d be surprised how happy people are if you share a simple article, study, or book recommendation with them. Of course, it needs to be one that is useful to them. But like this, you can easily show them you care and listen to them. You provide value based on their interests.

So, with this tool kit, you will now certainly be much more likely

Bonus Hint — Build Long-Term Value-Based Relationships.

All the hints above yield at one thing: help you be perceived as someone who creates value. If you are willing to put in some extra work that will pay off with time, consider treating every relationship you have in a way that you want to add value to people. Invite them for lunch, ask them how they are doing, check if they need anything. Become proactive and provide things to them that will really make a difference in their lives and that will make them happier. Become a person that is perceived as someone who naturally adds value and people will know.

This is nothing that you can tap into right away if you haven’t yet put in the work. But, you can start today by just being kind to people and make sure that you — in every interaction — add value to the people around you. With time this will pay off and people will just know that you are a person of value and that your opinion is valuable as well.

To get started, just scroll through your contacts and messages on your phone and see if you can do somebody a genuine favor, even if they haven’t asked for it.

Recap.

So, follow these three steps to

1. appeal to moral,
2. focus on outcomes, and
3. think beyond the ask.

By applying these easy hints, your messages will be more persuasive as they will truly add value to your recipients. Now, get back to your message and apply these techniques right away!

Access Resonaid via the Chrome Web Store

And, if you are looking for ways to automate this process, you might like to support my co-founders and me in our endeavor to build a tool that helps sales professionals with writing personalized messages for the outreach.

We recently released the first version of our product as a Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store.

As we just went live this summer, you can currently test Resonaid for free and get large discounts by being an early user.

We deeply appreciate feedback. So, if you can think of anything that we should know, please reach out at hello@resonaid.co.

About the Author

Teddy Lange is a co-founder at Resonaid and is responsible for business development and customer experience. Before joining Resonaid, he’s been a Sales Rep and Junior Sales Manager, and co-founded various companies. He’s currently finishing his graduate degree in Public Policy with a focus on communication at Harvard University. Feel free to reach out to him at teddy@resonaid.co.