Sifting for the value your customers want
What do your customers get when they buy from you?
The fundamental question every business owner needs to be able to answer. Because if you can’t your sales and marketing will fail to achieve what your business is capable of. They will struggle to have cut through and growing revenues will be a hard slog. Soaking up huge reserves of time, energy and money.
It’s perfectly framed:
- From the customer’s perspective.
- As a buying process.
- As an exchange.
Too often businesses focus on it from a “we” perspective. We do this; we are that; we have been in business for….
Who cares? Certainly not your customer. At best they are low-level credentials. Entry points onto the playing field.
Vapid puffs of air
Yet if you can’t answer the question your brand messages are generic me too, so what, or bland motherhood statements.
Meaningless like vapid white clouds that evaporate in the heat of the market place sun.
- “Your partner in growth” – an accounting firm, a finance company, business coach, an HR firm, a software company.
- “Peace of mind” – financial planning, insurance brokerage, a bedding company
Positioning statements that make the business owners feel warm, fuzzy, doing good. It’s what they think that their customers want. Except they don’t.
It's NOT what they are buying
At delivering Results we place a very high emphasis on research – actually talking to the customers of businesses. Most of them business owners themselves.
Yet, when we interview them about what matters to them, not once have any of those phases been used. Ever. Your customers have very specific challenges or goals.
And growth or peace of mind is not what they are buying.
Its all about value – theirs
They are buying value. Something they want. That they are prepared to spend their hard-earned money on.
And that value exists in their world. Their hearts and minds.
Value goes much deeper than the functional aspect of your service. They are buying tax returns, financial plans, insurance or borrowing money.
It goes deeper. Benefits are helpful – at least you are starting to unpack things from a customer perspective. Looking at your product or service and how it makes a difference to them. Meeting their needs or wants.
However, at the deepest level value is driven by people’s emotional drivers. People are thinking machines that feel. Emotions drive behaviour, facts rationalise.
Ask them and listen, probe
And to find that out you need to talk with them. Understand their world, their business. Their challenges and aspirations.
When you start to connect emotional drivers, motivations with benefits then you are getting to the truth.
You’ll know you have nailed it when they start nodding, saying yes, smiling.
And one of the best tools is to ask: “so what does that mean?”
Now you are starting to identify what they value.
Now you are starting to get specific and the benefit to your sales and marketing will be profound.
It will provide clarity, cut through, impact.
If you want help distilling your value proposition, finding out what your customers really want and transform the impact of your marketing just get in touch by calling 0459 320 999 or emailing alex@deliveringresults.com.au.
I will be happy to talk and see if, how we can help.
In the meantime, practice asking that question.