Do you bring value?
How do you know you bring value?
Do your competitors bring more value than you?
These aren’t flippant questions. They’re serious and they deserve some real thinking.
Your customers are looking for value. They expect it not only from what they’re buying from you, but also from you. If you sell in a space where pricing is very competitive, then it’s even more important for you to be bringing value to your customers.
The value you bring can many times wind up being the difference between you making a sale or you losing a sale.
Bonus for you is the ability to command an even higher price and generate sustained long-term sales based off the value you bring.
Ask yourself these questions:
What are the questions I ask my customers that allow us to have a discussion at a level different from what the customer was expecting?
What are the insights I can share that my customers will appreciate?
If you can’t take the customer to a level they can’t find on the web or via a competitor, then you’re not creating value.
Another way you create value with your customers is by helping them maximize the value of their time. Too many times salespeople — in their attempt to stand out from the competition — wind up wasting the customer’s time by talking about things the customer couldn’t care less about.
This is why I emphasized the value of the questions asked. Maximizing the customer’s time means using it the way the customer wants to use it, not the way the salesperson wants to use it.
In the end, the way to demonstrate value is by treating the customer with respect by showing integrity in everything you say and do, not just during the sales process, but also after the process is over.
The value created does create a return on investment. The only question is when and how the payout occurs, but don’t worry it will come.
Copyright 2015, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
