relationship-based selling

When it comes to holding firm on pricing, many salespeople stumble at the finish line, undermining their value and margin in pursuit of a quick win. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey explore the essential topic of value selling, especially when offering a premium-priced solution. They break down how business acumen, sales strategy, and relationship-based selling contribute to sales success—and how to confidently command the price your product deserves. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too expensive,” this is your playbook for holding the line and still closing the deal.

Key Topics Discussed

Why customers buy more than just your product—they buy your company and you (00:01:00)
The danger of sending a quote without a conversation (00:02:21)
How sales reps can create momentum in late-stage deals by previewing terms early (00:03:00)
Breaking away from “feeds and speeds” and focusing on business outcomes (00:05:00)
Real-world coaching example: winning a deal despite being $9,000 more expensive (00:08:25)
The importance of sales process alignment with customer learning styles (00:10:48)

Key Quotes

“Your customers are not just buying your product—they’re buying your company, and they’re buying the wisdom of the salesperson.”
— Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:01:00)

“Don’t just throw a document on their desk that says, ‘here’s my price.’ That’s not value selling. That’s transactional noise.”
— Kevin Lawson (00:03:21)

“I told her: thank them for the feedback. Tell them you can’t meet the price because you’re delivering something of higher value—and she won the deal.”
— Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:09:01)

“If you’re always responding with a discount, you’re not putting forward the confidence that your product actually delivers value.”
— Kevin Lawson (00:10:28)

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Stop emailing quotes—start previewing them. Before sending out another proposal or quote, schedule a call or meeting with your prospect to review the terms and value proposition. Use that time to reinforce the business impact of your solution and clarify any remaining concerns. This approach increases close rates and reduces last-minute pricing objections, protecting revenue and margin.

Summary

In today’s ultra-competitive B2B environment, salespeople must do more than deliver specs—they must deliver confidence. This episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales arms you with a clear, repeatable strategy for commanding premium pricing through value selling. If you’re serious about improving your sales management, sales processes, and revenue generation tactics, then this 15-minute episode could be the most profitable quarter-hour of your week. Tune in now and elevate your ability to win—without discounting.

Building an effective sales pipeline requires a shift in strategy. Traditional cold calling has become increasingly ineffective, with decision-makers ignoring unsolicited calls and emails.

In the spring of 2021, Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch Wealth Management unit banned trainee brokers from making cold calls. According to the Wall Street Journal, it is hard to succeed with cold phone calls in an era when no one picks up. Merrill executives said personal referrals lead to a response around 40% of the time, but less than 2% of people who are cold-called even answer the phone.

Sales teams must adopt a more strategic approach, focusing on relationships rather than volume-based outreach. The key is leveraging existing networks to create warm introductions, significantly improving engagement rates and overall success.

Cold outreach has become expensive and inefficient, and the time spent dialing numbers, leaving voicemails, and sending emails that never get opened results in diminishing returns. Many executives no longer answer unknown calls, and email filters automatically sort cold outreach into spam. Even when messages get through, recipients are skeptical, assuming they are generated by automation rather than a genuine human connection. In reality, sales professionals must find a better way to reach their target audience.

Relationship-based selling offers a more effective alternative. Salespeople should focus on leveraging their connections instead of reaching out to strangers. This approach involves identifying key contacts who can provide warm introductions to potential prospects. These “super connectors” are individuals with strong networks and the ability to facilitate meaningful introductions. By tapping into these relationships, sales teams can bypass the skepticism associated with cold outreach and start conversations with credibility.

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