Everyone claims “better work”. Everyone has slides to prove it.
My opinion?
You are replaceable.
As long as your product is defined by what it does, you live in a crowded category.
Features can be compared. Capabilities can be matched. Roadmaps can be mirrored. Buyers can always find something similar for less or bundle it into an existing contract.
Most of the time, this is what runs quietly in their head.
We survived before you, so don’t talk like you are that important.
Many have said it out loud. Most just think it.
That is why conversations stall around price and procurement.
When value is framed as functionality, the product becomes interchangeable.
The shift happens when the conversation moves away from what your product does and towards what it changes.
Outcomes are harder to substitute.
Reduced risk.
Faster decisions.
Fewer incidents.
Shorter audits.
Higher confidence.
These are not features. They are results buyers can defend internally.
This is also where responsibility shows up.
When you sell outcomes, you are no longer hiding behind documentation or specs. You are tying your value to something the buyer actually cares about and will measure.
That feels risky. It is. But it is also where differentiation lives.
Products that deliver outcomes are not swapped easily. They are woven into how the business operates. Pricing becomes secondary because removal feels expensive.
Features get you shortlisted.
Owning the outcome is what keeps you chosen.
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