Course overview
Putting in place the relationship between FABPs (Features, Advantages, Benefits, Proofs) and Values, the basis for Value Selling is established. The goal of this two-part course is to help make price a secondary consideration during the selling process.

The semiconductor equipment and materials (SEM) industry focus is on long sales-cycle, "big-ticket" products (semiconductor manufacturing and test equipment and services, along with materials such as wafers, photoresists and specialized chemicals) which require significant and extended evaluation and analysis.

We all learned FABPs as junior sales persons, and we must now extend that experience further into the customers' world of ROI (return on investment), CoO (cost of ownership) and other metrics of the customers' perception of value. We learn to broaden the concept of product benefits by "wrapping" products/services in variations of support, technical capability, creativity and risk reduction. Emphasis is on understanding the customers' goals and needs, anticipating and countering competitive threats, and dealing with both through the value proposition.

Part I puts in place the concept of a value proposition (VP) with compatible variations; part II focuses on elements of a value proposition, a methodology for creating and maintaining value propositions, and on their dynamic nature and most effective use.

What you will learn

• differentiate between customer "needs" and "wants" and how to verify your conclusions
• speak the customers' language keeping the focus on benefits rather than features and advantages
• adapt your thought processes to "values", to include all your product and nonproduct resources in the customer value equation, and to estimate $ levels for specific non-product values
• evolve the focus of a value proposition from customer section (operations, engineering, etc.) to customer (as a whole) to market segment (group of similar customers) while maintaining VP compatibility -- and then doing it in reverse order
• identify and construct elements of the "value proposition"
• establish a process for successfully creating and maintaining "value propositions"
• apply "value propositions" beyond the sales transaction

Who should participate
Sales executives, senior sales persons, account managers, product marketers, key account team support members.

Course outline
Understanding the customer's need and wants, and the process for differentiating them Getting into the customers' minds Differentiating FABs; they're not the same for every customer; the importance of proofs is emphasized

1. Value Propositions
   • Their purpose
   • The dynamic of the value context
   • Inputs to "Value"
   • Elements of the "Value Propositions"
   • How to construct them--a team effort

2. Relationships between account strategies, promotion materials, PR and more
   • Sales transactions
   • Equating values to needs
   • Reinforcment mechanisms

3. The account strategy trail
   • Positioning
   • Competition
   • Customer Expectations

4. Compatible (and possibly synergistic) value propositions: department to customer to market segment and back again
   • Adapting to level of customer contact
   • Extending and creating "need elements"