Selling Value, Not Promotions: key insights from the Baltic Business Club’s business breakfast on sales and marketing
On May 22, the Baltic Business Club organised an exclusive business breakfast at the Mere Resto restaurant in Tallinn, dedicated to marketing and sales strategy. The topic proved highly relevant for Estonian entrepreneurs: in a small market, every client matters, and competition often defaults to price. When companies look identical, price becomes the customer’s only deciding factor.
The event was led by Jekaterina Salumäe, a practicing sales and marketing expert with extensive experience at international companies like Mars, JURA, and Anora. Known for her hands-on approach to business processes, Jekaterina helps companies across Estonia and the wider region build effective commercial models and achieve significant profit growth.
This article highlights the key insights from the meeting and Jekaterina’s practical recommendations:
- Why just a good product itself no longer guarantees sales;
- How to find your unique differentiation in a crowded market;
- How to build positioning that allows you to sell value rather than discounts.
1. Why a Good Product is No Longer a Competitive Advantage
One of the first questions Jekaterina raised was: How do most companies talk about themselves today? Usually, it sounds something like this:
- high-quality products;
- reasonable prices;
- years of experience;
- an individual approach;
The problem is that countless companies say the exact same thing.
If a client cannot see the difference between your offer and the other one, price becomes their only metric for making a decision. This is precisely why many businesses find themselves in a constant battle over discounts and promotions.
“The problem isn’t your product, and it isn’t your price. The problem is that companies look identical,” the speaker emphasized.
It is important to understand that, more often than not, the issue is not the product itself – it is that the business fails to clearly state what makes it different from the competition.
Practical Takeaway
Check your website or sales proposal. If your key advantages could be used by any competitor without a single change, your clients will struggle to see a real difference between you.
2. “Positioning” in Simple Terms
A recurring theme during the meeting that resonated deeply with the audience was this: price competition begins where clear value ends. This is why a significant part of the discussion focused on positioning.
According to Jekaterina, positioning is not just a logo, a mission statement, or beautiful slides on a website. Positioning is the answer to one question: What role does your company occupy in the client’s mind the moment they face a specific problem?
Jekaterina highlighted three common positioning mistakes:
- An overly broad audience: trying to sell to everyone means nobody feels the product was created specifically for them;
- Clichéd promises: “quality,” “reliability,” and “professionalism” are important, but if everyone uses them, they lose all competitive value;
- Lack of proof: phrases like “market leader” or “the best choice” do not work without concrete evidence; clients need facts, results, and solid arguments.
Ultimately, trying to sell to “everyone” leaves clients feeling misunderstood, while claims about quality and professionalism without proof simply turn into background noise.
The Formula for Strong Brand Positioning
Jekaterina shared a simple, workable formula applicable to any business. It includes four core steps:
- Clearly define your audience;
- Formulate your client’s problem;
- Show the specific result your client will get;
- Provide proof of why your solution is better than the alternatives.
In short, to understand how to differentiate your product, answer four questions:
- Who do you work for?
- What problem do you solve?
- What result does the client get?
- Why should they trust you?
The more specific your answers, the stronger your positioning.
Positioning in Action: Selling Results, Not Products
To bridge the gap between theory and practice, the participants analyzed a real case study of a company specializing in ventilation systems.
On a product level, everything looks purely technical: equipment, installation, maintenance, and engineering solutions. But the key question is: What is the customer actually buying?
While the core product remained unchanged, its meaning shifted depending on the specific needs and pain points of the client:
- for a hotel owner: reduced energy costs and stable system uptime;
- for a family: clean air, quality sleep, and overall well-being;
- for a property developer: increased property value and higher investment appeal.
The product itself does not change. What changes is the lens through which it is perceived.
If a company describes itself through its product, it competes with similar products.
If it describes itself through the result, it enters an entirely different league of competition.
The Impact on Sales and Customer Behavior
When a company says, “We manufacture ventilation systems,” they sound like a vendor. When they say, “We ensure a healthy indoor climate and reduce operational costs,” they become a solution provider.
This immediately changes customer behavior:
- How they compare offers;
- What criteria they include in their evaluation;
- What becomes the key factor in their choice;
- How they perceive price versus value.
A Quick Actionable Checklist
To use positioning as a strategic management tool, answer the following questions:
- Does the client clearly understand what problem you solve?
- Do you have one focused, core value, or just a long list of advantages?
- Are you competing on results or on products?
Companies rarely lose deals because of their product. More often, they lose because of how that product is explained.
3. The “Kebab Water” Campaign: Why Unusual Ideas Win
One of the most discussed case studies was an unconventional campaign by Bolt Food featuring fictional “kebab-flavored water“.
Geared toward a younger audience, the project was built around an intentionally absurd concept. Despite its unusual nature, the campaign achieved wide reach and engagement.
The goal was not to promote discounts or highlight the functional advantages of the delivery service, but to spark conversation and build an emotional connection with the brand. Jekaterina noted that the company knew exactly who their audience was and did not try to please everyone.
“To many, this ad seemed strange or even ridiculous. But to the target audience, it was perfectly relatable,” she emphasized.
This example shows that great marketing does not always have to revolve around product features. Sometimes, a brand’s primary job is simply to give people a reason to talk.
“It is a great example of building brand awareness without focusing on price or functionality. The focus shifts to emotion and context, rather than the product itself,” the speaker added.
Key Takeaways: What to Implement Tomorrow
Attendees left the meeting not just with new connections, but with concrete tools they could immediately bring back to their companies.
You can start with these simple steps:
- List your product’s or company’s core advantages;
- Eliminate clichéd phrases that your competitors use;
- Narrow down and define your specific target audience;
- Clearly articulate the exact result your client receives;
- Establish at least three concrete proof points that back up your positioning promises;
- Check if you are competing on price where you should be competing on value.
When a business clearly understands who it serves, what problem it solves, and how it stands out, the pressure to offer discounts disappears.
This is the true purpose of marketing today: not just selling a product, but helping the customer see the exact value they are ready to pay full price for.
This article summarizes the core insights from the Baltic Business Club meeting. The content is for informational purposes and reflects the practical frameworks shared by the invited experts and club members.
