The question is then, “To what extent are these investments paying off?” While case studies indicate some performance 1. Many, perhaps most, salespeople do not know how to position the value of their offerings properly. A study attributed to the American Marketing Association reported that as few as 1 in 10 salespeople know how to position value and use messages correctly and consistently. If true, such a figure means that companies simply remain inept at teaching salespeople how to effectively position defensible value with customers.