Don't blame the price
Jul 24, 2026
I've noticed something about commercial pressure
It often gets blamed on price
But I'm not convinced that's always the issue
Sometimes it's a value problem
Or more specifically a value definition problem
Suppliers often talk about things like:
Performance
Innovation
Capability
Precision
All perfectly reasonable
Meanwhile the customer may be thinking about:
Reliability
Downtime
Staffing challenges
Implementation risk
Peace of mind
Neither side is wrong
They're simply viewing value through different lenses
And when those lenses don't align interesting things happen
The supplier thinks they're communicating value
The customer isn't hearing it
I've found that the strongest technical salespeople don't start by explaining value
They start by exploring it
What matters here?
Why does it matter?
What happens if we get this right?
Structure helps
🔸 Validate = right opportunities
Understand whether the issue is important enough to justify change
🔸 Align = right research
Explore what the customer values before assuming it
🔸 Leverage = right conversations
Discuss outcomes, risks and priorities, not just capabilities
🔸 Underpin = right solutions
Connect technical strengths to what the customer actually cares about
🔸 Evolve = right outcomes
Measure success against their definition of value, not yours
Because customers rarely buy machinery for the sake of machinery
They're buying what the machinery helps them achieve
And that's where the real value sits
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