Value is in the eye of the beholder. But before you can sell value, you must answer the question, “What does my customer value?” Literally asking that question can result in vague replies, since customers themselves can’t always define exactly what they mean by “value.” Be more specific with this comparison question:

“How important is price compared to service? Compared to quality? Compared to availability? Compared to ‘time to market’?”

You need to help customers figure out whether they can reach their goals using the tools they have now. This question can get the ball rolling:

“Where do you see market opportunities to pursue and obstacles to overcome?”

You’ll have provided a valuable service by motivating them to answer that question, no matter what their answer might be.

Assessing the competition periodically is a matter of survival for any business. Here’s a question to help your customer figure out whether he can get where he wants to be with what he already has:

“How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?”

Questions about this and other aspects of business compel your customer to articulate what he’s doing or should be doing in order to define his success and what he needs to do to make it happen (while you, of course, are planting the seed that you’re part of the solution!)

For many people, value boils down to quality of service. This question helps you cut to the chase:

“Can you give me an example of when your standards for quality were not met?”

This question compels your customer to define exactly what “quality” means to him, so you’ll be able to zero in on a solution tailored to his needs.