Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger . . .

In 1986 Janet Jackson’s single What Have You Done For Me Lately topped the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. She wrote the song after her 1985 divorce from James DeBarge, and it expresses a woman’s frustration in a relationship.

Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963. In her book Mary Kay On People Management, she highlights a critical observation that all people have invisible signs around their necks that say, “Make me feel important.”

Many of us struggle with the fact that our clients and customers think the same way Janet and Mary Kay think.  

Customers care about how you can address their Pain, Opportunities, or Problems* (POP). How can you help them be Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger . . . ? They care little about your products and services. 

Customers think . . . 

    Why should I buy? 

        Why should I buy now? 

            Why should I buy from you?

Your value story answers these questions. Your value story is one of the most essential tools in your sales tool kit.

A targeted, tailored value story is your best chance for an audience with your customer. It is your best chance to get a customer to listen to you. It is your best chance to accelerate your sales success. 

Build a better value story by 1) developing a robust and strategic value story; 2) continuously examining and refining the details; and 3) improving your delivery with practice, practice, practice. 

*Pain or Problem? Think about the difference between treating a symptom versus treating the disease. Symptoms point to an underlying disease. Pain is where a client feels it—in sales, cash flow, or customer complaints—and points to an underlying problem or root cause. Opportunities arise from visioning and looking at clients through a different lens. 

Here’s to selling Mastery. 

-Cherilynn

Head of Education and Growth, Sistas In Sales

Executive Coach/Managing Partner, CGI

Cherilynn Castleman, Executive Coach/Sales Trainer, has been a sales executive for 20+ years. With a natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other executives and sales professionals.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”― Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, was an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement.