Most B2B companies work hard to be customer centric. But according to Lisa Dennis, there's a big difference between talking about customers and talking in a way customers recognize.
Lisa joins Paul Fuller to talk about buyer-focused value propositions, the three languages at play in every B2B organization, and why so much messaging ends up sounding the same.
Her message is simple: it's not about getting the buyer to understand us. It's about learning to speak their language.
Lisa believes value is one of the most misunderstood words in sales because it's all about perspective. Most companies talk about their own product or service because they assume that's where the value is. Buyers don't wake up wanting to buy your product. They're looking for value in their own terms.
That's why Lisa thinks of a value proposition as a mirror. Buyers don't want to see your face in it. They want to see their own. Any value prop that starts with "I," "we," or your company name tells the buyer a pitch is coming.
The Three Languages of B2B (08:30)
Marketing speaks the language of positioning, differentiation, and capabilities. Sales speaks a more conversational language focused on opportunities and moving deals forward. Both are still inward looking.
Then there's the buyer, who describes their challenges, goals, and obstacles in their own words, without mentioning your product at all. Lisa says organizations spend a lot of time aligning marketing and sales, and almost no time getting both to speak the buyer's language.
Would Your Buyer Actually Say This? (17:09)
One of Lisa's favorite workshop exercises is to put a piece of messaging on the screen and ask a simple question: would our buyer actually say this? Often the room starts laughing. Salespeople admit they don't use those words on calls because they don't sound right.
Phrases like "end-to-end" and "purpose-built" are everywhere, and AI is making it worse. Lisa explains that broad outcomes like operational efficiency don't tell buyers much. The real conversation starts when you learn what efficiency actually means to them.
Listen, Think, Translate (27:03)
Lisa's process sounds simple, but none of it happens automatically. First, listen to how buyers describe their problem before jumping to a solution, and write down their exact words. Then think: interpret what's really driving the issue, why it matters now, and who else is affected.
Only then do you translate what you offer into their terms. Lisa says this translation already happens with the best strategic sellers, but it usually stays in the moment. The goal is to bring it all the way back into marketing, product marketing, and brand.
Listen to the full conversation with Lisa Dennis to learn how to stop writing in company speak and start speaking buyer.
About Lisa Dennis:
Lisa Dennis is the Founder and President of Knowledgence Associates, a B2B marketing and sales consultancy.
With more than 30 years of experience, Lisa helps organizations shift the conversation from what they want to say to what buyers need to hear.
She is the author of Value Propositions that Sell and is writing her next book, How to Speak "Buyer" – A Practical Playbook for Translating Your Message Into the Language That Wins Deals.
Lisa also founded the Knowledgence ABM Graduate School and previously served for ten years as an ABM Certification Leader and Senior Consultant for ITSMA across the globe.Today, she brings her expertise in buyer-language strategy, value propositions, and account-based engagement to our discussion.
Contact With Lisa: Website / The Missing Layer: The Buyer Strategy
Paul Fuller’s stated mission is to help others maximize their gifts by using his.
Paul has been a pioneer in the sales process and training, sales as a service, content marketing and CRM. As a previous founder and owner of multiple successful growth organizations in these spaces, Paul has effectively trained and led sales and marketing teams across the world to focus on and achieve dynamic growth.
He firmly believes sales is defined best in three categories:
• Service - helping other get what they need
• Leadership - guiding others toward their vision
• Wayfinding - navigating the path to success together
He is firmly committed to elevating the sales profession through coaching, leading, and empowering others through systems that enable strong performance.
Currently Paul leads revenue growth at Membrain.com - the top sales effectiveness CRM in the world. Working with his team, and a group of over 100 top sales consultant organizations across the globe, they are focused at creating scalable growth through sales excellence in companies and teams in over 80 countries.
Schedule a call with him here.
Find out more about Paul Fuller on LinkedIn
From north to south, east to west, Membrain has thousands of happy clients all over the world.
