Salespeople as Differentiators

In high-tech, where products are complex and purchase decisions are high-risk, the salesperson is a powerful vehicle for differentiation. A great salesperson doesn't just sell a product; they can become the product in the customer's mind.

How Salespeople Differentiate:

1. Creating Perceived Value: A good salesperson identifies what is important to a specific customer and then frames the product's advantages in a way that makes them essential to that customer. They nurture a need for the unique characteristics their product offers.
2. Becoming the Product: The greatest salespeople create their own differentiation. They sell themselves—their expertise, their commitment, their personal guarantee of the customer's success. The customer buys the salesperson's trustworthiness, and a physical device is shipped in their place.
3. Building Relationships: They can build such strong relationships and trust that customers want to buy from them as a unique individual, regardless of the underlying product.
4. Providing Service: A salesperson can differentiate by providing a unique service, such as navigating complex procurement procedures for a customer, effectively doing part of the customer's job for them.

Hiring a top salesperson from a competitor is so devastating because it is an act of acquiring a piece of the competitor's product line and carving out a chunk of their customer base. They are a key intangible that can Differentiate the Product, Not Just the Device.