Cracking the Value Code: How to Sell What Matters Most
How do you define “value”?
The healthcare landscape may be flipping this script on us.
Hospitals and health systems are under intense financial pressure — U.S. medical cost inflation is projected to stay around 8.5% in 2025, according to PwC. That means procurement and clinical leaders are scrutinizing total cost of care, not just sticker price.
Physicians, meanwhile, are fighting time scarcity and burnout. The rep who can save minutes — in workflow, in setup, in post-op recovery — brings value that sticks. The one who adds complexity? Noise.
And patients? They’re now the most powerful stakeholder in the room. With 11% year-over-year growth in prescription spending (IQVIA, 2025) and increasing demand for outcome-based care, patients expect proof that better actually means better.
In short: value isn’t what you sell — it’s what they experience.
Why Most Reps Miss the Mark
The most common mistake? Equating “value” with “features.”
Reps highlight product specs — faster, lighter, smarter — without connecting them to something measurable. For example:
A surgical tool that reduces cycle time by 20% isn’t about seconds saved — it’s about two more cases a day.
A diagnostic device with higher sensitivity isn’t about precision — it’s about fewer readmissions, lower costs, and happier patients.
Value doesn’t live in the product. It lives in the impact.
That’s the heart of what Mace Horoff calls The Value Algorithm — a structured way to uncover what actually drives your customer’s decisions. It’s not another checklist or sales script; it’s a mindset shift from selling things to selling outcomes.
The Value Algorithm — in Action
When a call stalls at “We’re good with what we have,” it’s not a dead end — it’s a signal. You haven’t uncovered the hidden value driver.
The Value Algorithm challenges reps to move past “how good your product is” and toward “how much better your customer’s day becomes.” It’s about learning which buttons to press — the tangible (time, cost, results) and the intangible (credibility, reputation, simplicity).
Every conversation becomes a discovery: What problem are they really trying to solve? What keeps them from fixing it? What would winning look like?
It’s simple. But not easy.
And that’s why this framework matters — it forces reps to ask better questions, listen longer, and build bridges instead of barriers.
Three Questions to Crack the Value Code
To put this into practice, start with three deceptively simple questions. Ask them early, and mean them.
1. What does success look like for you?
You’ll hear everything from “cut supply costs” to “get my time back on Fridays.” Whatever the answer, you’ve just uncovered their personal definition of value. Anchor every future conversation to it.
2. What’s standing in your way?
This reveals more than objections — it exposes the real problem. Budget? Staffing? Process? Risk? Listen for where the friction lives. That’s where your product belongs.
3. How do you measure impact today?
If they can’t answer, that’s your cue to define it for them. “What would it mean if you could reduce turnover time by 10 minutes?” Suddenly, you’re not selling — you’re solving.
These three questions shift the conversation from features to impact, from pitching to partnering. They separate top performers from the rest of the field.
Putting It Into Practice
In 2025, the reps who win aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones who listen for value, measure it, and make it real.
Because when you crack the code, you stop selling products — and start selling progress.
Bring It to the Summit
Ready to put The Value Algorithm into action?
Join medical sales leader Mace Horoff at The Lobby Sales Summit, November 7–9 in Dallas, TX — where the top reps will be learning how to unlock hidden value in every call and leave with strategies they can apply immediately.
