Stuck on Trying to Find the Perfect Value Drivers? How Customer Collaboration Unlocks Faster Deals

One of the biggest traps in sales and customer success is trying to find the “perfect” value drivers for your customers. Every prospect has different needs, priorities, and pain points—so how do you pinpoint exactly what matters most? And what if you get it wrong?

The truth is, there is no single perfect value driver—but there is a perfect way to find the right ones: collaborate with your customers. Instead of guessing or relying on generic industry data, involving customers in the value-definition process will accelerate deals, improve close rates, and set the stage for long-term success.

In this blog, we’ll break down:

✅ Why collaborating with customers leads to better-defined value drivers
✅ How this approach improves deal velocity and customer experience
✅ A five-step process to co-create, validate, and track value effectively

Let’s dive in.

Why Searching for the “Perfect” Value Drivers Slows You Down

Many sales teams try to pre-determine value drivers before engaging customers. They spend hours refining messaging, testing different ROI models, and tweaking presentations.

But here’s the problem with that approach:

➡️ You’re working in isolation rather than involving the customer in the process.

When you try to define value without customer input, you risk:

❌ Misalignment – You focus on areas they don’t actually care about.
❌ Stalled Deals – Your pitch doesn’t resonate, leading to hesitation or ghosting.
❌ Weaker Renewals & Upsells – The customer never truly “bought into” the value in the first place.

By co-creating value drivers with customers instead of guessing, you:

✅ Ensure their priorities guide the conversation
✅ Build consensus with key stakeholders early
✅ Make closing, retention, and expansion much easier

So, how do you put this into action? Follow this five-step process.

5 Steps to Co-Create Value Drivers That Drive Faster Deals

1️⃣ Shift from Pitching to Customer-Led Discovery

Instead of jumping into product demos or pre-built value frameworks, start with a co-discovery session.

🔹 Ask open-ended questions – What challenges are most urgent? What’s their leadership team focused on?
🔹 Encourage ranking of priorities – Not all business goals are equal—help them stack rank.
🔹 Guide, don’t dictate – Provide structure but let them define what success looks like.

📌 Example Question:
"If we solved [X] problem for you, how would that impact your revenue, efficiency, or risk reduction?"

This collaborative discovery ensures alignment with what truly matters to them.

2️⃣ Build a Shared Value Framework—Together

Once key business priorities are identified, map them directly to how your solution helps.

✅ Tie solutions to their exact pain points (not generic benefits)
✅ Quantify impact whenever possible (cost savings, time reduction, revenue growth)
✅ Get their input on success metrics—what KPIs actually matter to them?

📌 Example:
Instead of saying, “We help reduce onboarding time,” co-create a metric like:

“By automating workflows, you can reduce onboarding from 60 days to 30, saving $100K in lost productivity.”

This moves you from selling features to defining real business impact.

3️⃣ Validate & Align with All Stakeholders Early

Even if your champion loves your value framework, the deal could still stall if other stakeholders aren’t aligned.

🔹 Involve CFOs, COOs, or IT early—each will have their own value drivers.
🔹 Adjust messaging based on stakeholder priorities—finance may care about cost, while operations care about efficiency.
🔹 Use this as a pre-close checkpoint—confirm alignment before you send proposals.

📌 Example:
If the CFO needs cost justification, show how the solution pays for itself in X months.

✅ Doing this prevents last-minute roadblocks when you’re ready to close.

4️⃣ Use Value to Drive Deal Execution & Negotiation

Now that your customer has helped define their own value drivers, use them as the foundation of your deal strategy.

📊 How to apply it:

✔️ Proposal & Pricing – Anchor costs in ROI, not just discounts.
✔️ Sales Messaging – Reinforce how your solution maps directly to their priorities.
✔️ Objection Handling – Instead of arguing price, show how the agreed-upon value outweighs the cost.

📌 Example:
Instead of saying, “Our platform costs $50K,” say:

“Your team estimated this solution would save you $300K per year—so your ROI is 6X.”

🚀 This shifts the conversation from cost to value, making approvals easier.

5️⃣ Turn Value into an Ongoing Customer Success Strategy

Value isn’t just for closing deals—it should guide the entire customer journey.

✅ Onboarding – Align implementation plans with customer-defined value drivers.
✅ Quarterly Business Reviews – Show progress against the value framework.
✅ Renewals & Upsells – Use real data to expand based on past impact.

📌 Example:
Instead of a generic renewal conversation, say:

“Over the last year, we’ve helped you cut downtime by 40%, resulting in $500K in cost savings. Let’s explore how we can extend this impact further.”

✅ This approach makes renewals and expansions natural, not forced.

Final Thoughts: Stop Searching for the “Perfect” Value Drivers—Let Customers Show You

If you’re stuck trying to find the perfect value drivers, the answer isn’t in your sales playbook—it’s in your customer conversations.

By collaborating with customers to define, validate, and track value drivers, you will:

✅ Accelerate deal cycles by focusing on what truly matters
✅ Improve win rates by gaining early stakeholder alignment
✅ Strengthen customer journeys by making value a shared responsibility

This is exactly why platforms like DIVACS exist—to help sales and customer success teams build, track, and reinforce value throughout the customer lifecycle.

🚀 Ready to stop guessing and start collaborating?

Let’s redefine value—together.