A couple of years ago, I wrote about the challenge of selling in the age of Google. Reading it again today, I realize that the fundamental question has not changed. If anything, it has become sharper. How does one show value to a customer in an era where almost every piece of information is available online in seconds?
This question comes up often in sales training workshops I have facilitated. Whether the participants are from technology, FMCG, services, or manufacturing, the refrain is the same: “Our product feels commoditized. Customers know everything already. Where does that leave us as sales professionals?”
The truth is, the role of a salesperson has transformed. It is no longer about transferring information. It is about creating something that information alone cannot provide: context, insight, and meaning.
Why Competing with Google Feels Impossible
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Think about the last time you wanted to buy something significant. It could have been a laptop, a refrigerator, or even a car. A decade ago, you might have relied on advertisements, a conversation with friends, and finally, a showroom visit where the salesperson’s pitch influenced your decision.
Today the sequence looks very different. Long before you set foot in a store, you have researched everything. A quick search gives you price comparisons, feature breakdowns, customer reviews, even expert blogs and videos. By the time you meet the salesperson, you may already know more about the specifications than they do.
If the salesperson’s role is only to list features and highlight comparisons, then yes, Google and other digital tools will always do it faster, cheaper, and often better. That is the hard truth.
But here is the nuance. People do not only buy based on facts. They buy because something feels right for them, because they see a possibility for their business or their life that the data alone cannot show. And this is where the role of a salesperson comes alive.
Value in a Sales Call: A Fresh Lens
In economics, we are taught that Value equals Benefit minus Cost. When we apply this formula to a sales call, the cost for the customer is not money. It is their time and energy. Both are scarce commodities in an always-on world. If they are giving us thirty minutes, it had better be worth it.
What is the benefit then? Is it just about hearing the same list of features they already found online? Clearly not. The benefit lies in what cannot be Googled. It lies in the new perspective we bring, the clarity we create, and the possibilities we help them imagine.
From Communicating Value to Creating Value
Google communicates value. It tells you about features, specifications, reviews, and prices. What it cannot do is create value in a unique context.
For instance, when I once worked with a team selling enterprise IT solutions, the difference became stark. The same customer who resisted paying even a small premium for laptops was willing to invest heavily in virtualization solutions. Why? Because the salesperson was able to show not just what the technology did, but how it could free up bandwidth, reduce downtime, and improve specific business outcomes.
Google could tell them the specifications of virtualization. But it could not show them how it would cut their helpdesk tickets in half or enable smoother onboarding of new employees. That translation from feature to business impact is where true sales value is created.
In our experience at FocusU, this mirrors what we often see in teams. The information is available to everyone. What makes the difference is the ability to connect the dots, to show relevance, and to move from raw data to meaningful insight.
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The Car Buying Analogy Revisited
Let me revisit the car buying story with today’s reality. A customer looking for a car in 2025 has probably watched detailed reviews, compared mileage across models, checked insurance costs, and even seen crash test results online. They walk into a showroom with a mental shortlist and a budget.
What can the salesperson possibly add? If they only talk features or try to undercut on price, they are playing a losing game. But if they say, “Tell me about your daily commute. Are you usually in city traffic or do you do long highway drives? Do you often carry family or travel alone?” they are shifting the conversation. Suddenly it is not about horsepower or boot space, but about whether this specific car makes this customer’s life easier.
That is the shift from communication to creation of value.
Why Price Becomes the Default
One reason many salespeople struggle is that price becomes the default battleground. When the customer already knows the feature list and the competition, the only visible differentiator is cost.
But here is the paradox. As consumers ourselves, we know we do not always buy the cheapest. We pay more for convenience, trust, design, reliability, or simply because someone took the time to understand what we really needed.
This is a powerful reminder for professionals in any field. When we reduce our value to price, we surrender the very thing that makes us relevant.
Also Read: Why Quality Cannot Be Compromised
The Three Shifts Every Sales Professional Needs
Based on what I have seen in workshops and field conversations, I believe there are three critical shifts salespeople need to embrace today.
1. From Features to Insights
Features are everywhere. Insights are rare. Instead of saying “Our solution has X and Y,” a salesperson needs to say, “Based on what we see in your industry, here is how companies like yours are solving this problem, and here is what you might be overlooking.”
2. From Transactions to Relationships
Google cannot build a relationship. It cannot read hesitation in a customer’s voice or understand unspoken concerns. A good salesperson senses these nuances and builds trust.
3. From Information to Meaning
Customers are drowning in information. What they need is meaning. The role of the salesperson is to cut through noise and help them make sense of what matters for their unique context.
What Learning and Development Can Learn from This
This is not just about sales. It is about how all of us show value in an age of information overload. In learning and development too, participants can Google a concept or watch a video. Why then would they show up for a workshop?
The answer is the same. Because in a live session, they find relevance, context, and application. They discover how a framework connects with their challenges, how a mindset shift can change their effectiveness, and how peers are solving similar issues. That is not something Google can provide in isolation.
Also Read: Leadership Development for New Managers: 10 Key Challenges
A Personal Reflection
I remember one particular sales workshop where a participant asked me bluntly: “If customers know everything already, why do they even need us?” It was an honest question and one that many silently carry. My response was simple: “They do not need you to repeat what they already know. They need you to help them see what they do not.”
That, to me, is the essence of value creation in our professions today. Whether we are salespeople, trainers, or leaders, our worth comes not from competing with Google but from going beyond it.
The Takeaway
Competing with Google is a losing game. Google and AI tools will always be faster with information. But they will never replace the human ability to listen, interpret, empathize, and co-create.
The real question for any professional today is: What can you offer that Google cannot?
In sales, it may be industry-specific insights, trust, or a new way of framing the problem. In learning, it may be the ability to create shared meaning and lasting behavior change. In leadership, it may be the power to inspire and align people toward a vision.
At the end of the day, the shift is clear. Our job is not to communicate value but to create it.
