According to a recent survey conducted by MDM and Real Results Marketing, distributors say they provide more value to their customers than their competitors do, but are challenged when asked to actually quantify that value. This article, the first in a two-part series, examines how distributors perceive their own value.

When we ask executives for the value proposition of their business, they usually provide a ready, confident and well-rehearsed answer. The answer consists of a few claims about what they believe they do well. Overwhelmingly, these claims have been derived through executive intuition or anecdotal feedback from the sales team rather than rigorous processes with market testing.

Furthermore, when asked about the economic benefit of their value proposition to the customer, almost none can provide an answer. …