In tight economic times, buyers are under extra pressure to pursue only solutions with unquestionable value — and increasingly they want that value expressed quantitatively, as ROI. Showing value has always been the key to greater sales and higher prices, and the way to overcome "your price is too high." But the bar has been raised.
The answer for sellers, buyers, and decision-makers is the same: deliver solutions that provide real ROI Value which is convincingly calculated and communicated. Value comes from meeting the customer's REAL business requirements — which take skill and effort to discover. This model describes five value-selling maturity levels that tie directly to sales effectiveness.
Every methodology tells you to communicate your value; few tell you how to determine it. Moving from Level 1 to Level 4 yields only modestly increasing advantage — because each still leaves the burden of connecting to value on the customer.
Where Levels 1–4 give modest gains, Level 5 can produce breakthrough results. Buyers want to do business with sellers who fully grasp their critical issues and REAL business requirements, and who back the solution with right, reliable, responsible ROI superior to the next-best alternative. Three elements set it apart:
| Level | 1Not Selling on Value | 2Differentiating Features | 3Benefits | 4(Ostensible) ROI, Calculators | 5REAL Customer Value Selling Proposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consists of | Requests to buy whatever the seller is selling, without indicating value | All the features the seller thinks differentiate the product from competitors | All the potential benefits the seller can think of | Factors and figures that make the solution look good and seemingly justify buying it | Links showing how key differentiating features address what the customer values — and its believable, superior REAL ROI™ |
| Answers the question | What is the seller selling? | How is the seller's product different? | What benefits does the seller think a buyer might want? | What is the best financial case the seller can make? | What does the customer value most, how does the solution satisfy it, and what's it worth quantitatively? |
| Requires | Perseverance in the face of frustration, with little reinforcement | Customer must figure out whether, and which, features do something of value for them | Customer must figure out whether, and which, benefits are of value to them | Customer's belief that the claimed ROI is trustworthy and reflects value they'll receive | Customer confirms what they value, that the solution satisfies it, and that there's REAL ROI™ using their own figures |
| Pros | Takes negligible seller skill or knowledge | Identifies and emphasizes the product's presumed strengths | Positive, seemingly emphasizing value | Quantified figures can be persuasive and support buying decisions | Customers buy the solution they want and truly need; sellers sell more with less cost and effort |
| Cons | Produces sales only when the customer obviously needs the product or wants to help the seller | Requires competitor knowledge but little knowledge of the customer's needs | Customer may not see the value; extra claimed benefits can dilute the message | May not relate to what the customer values, may omit critical factors, and may raise questions about trustworthiness | Not the conventional-wisdom approach; takes greater skill and seemingly more effort — but less total effort for higher payback in the long run |
Level 5 is the whole thesis of the platform this became. Problem Pyramids™ → ROI Value Statements™ → REAL ROI™ on the customer's own figures is exactly what WebROI and ROI Replay operationalize today — the customer's REAL requirements, the value case in their own dollars, and proof that avoids the ten pitfalls. The 2015 model is the map; the platform is the machine.