Understanding your customer’s situation and challenges is the foundation of successful sales. Stepping out of the product mindset and focusing instead on the customer’s needs can be both difficult and uncomfortable — but it’s absolutely essential. Knowing how your product or service will impact and improve the customer’s day-to-day operations is key.
It all starts with understanding the industry and the customer as deeply as possible. How does their business model work? What drives their revenue and costs? What factors influence profitability? If you can pinpoint their financial challenges — such as growth pressures, shrinking margins, or increased capital requirements — it becomes much easier to clearly articulate how you can help.
The hard truth in B2B sales is that the customer typically isn’t looking to buy your product for its own sake — they’re interested in the value your product creates for their business. That value is the reason for the conversation in the first place. When the value is big enough and well-supported, it justifies the customer’s investment.
So, your success in sales depends entirely on your ability to connect your offer to the measurable value it delivers.
Which internal processes will become more efficient?
What does that mean in terms of reduced costs, increased revenues, or improved cash flow?
This is where the sale is won or lost — not in technical features or product specs.
As you’ve likely realized by now, you can’t have a meaningful value-based conversation unless you speak the language of finance. Only when you understand how the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow are connected can you drive the right kind of dialogue.
Knowing how to write smart AI prompts or repeating financial buzzwords in a customer meeting won’t cut it. You need to:
The decision-makers you’re trying to reach are focused on creating shareholder value — that’s the ultimate goal of any business, regardless of size or industry. Their decisions come down to two things:
If you and your solution help support either of those outcomes, there’s potential. But make no mistake — the road to "yes" goes through finance and value creation.
Speaking the universal language of finance is a great start — but it’s not enough. Every customer has their own "dialect," and your ability to recognize and adapt to those nuances is what builds credibility and engagement.
What does this company’s financial structure look like?
Which processes are critical to their success?
How can you help them generate better outcomes?
Without a clearly defined customer benefit and a well-supported case for customer value, your sales conversation risks becoming a price discussion rather than a value dialogue. And when the conversation turns to price, it becomes a negotiation where buyer and seller sit on opposite sides of the table.
But when the conversation is about value, you’re working toward the same goal — and that’s where the real opportunities lie.
Our method — The Visual Language of Finance® — has been tested and proven over many years, in many countries, and with all kinds of audiences. Our mission is to simplify and demystify finance.
We help people gain the knowledge and confidence they need to truly speak the language of finance — not just throw around buzzwords from Investopedia or ChatGPT.
We believe in making finance simple again — returning to the common sense and logic that truly governs the world of business.
Because at the end of the day, finance really is simple — even if some people go to great lengths to make it seem otherwise.
We help you develop your employees and your business. When more people gain in-depth knowledge of how business and profitability are connected, the results will move in the right direction.
Would you like to hear more about how we can help you?
Contact us and we’ll tell you more.
