Communicating Value

Abstract: People buy for their reasons, not yours. This article covers the key elements that prospects want to hear you talk about.

Always, but especially during lean times, effective sales professionals know the importance of communicating value.

Budgets ? if they ever were discretionary ? are tighter. Business customers are being asked to do more with less. Decisions are increasingly less on WHERE to spend the money and more on WHY we need to spend the money.

Value is the customer's perception of your worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance with respect to them or their business. Value addresses the customer's question, "What can this person or company do for me?"

Even spending time on the phone with you must return something of value to the customer. You must initially and continually earn the right to have the customer invest their time and money with you.

Position value by explicitly answering these questions throughout the sales cycle:

• How much? (What can the customer expect to gain by doing business with you in terms of increased sales, lower costs, etc.?)

• How soon? (When will the customer be able to receive the value? This is a critical question in today's economy.)

• How sure? (Where is the proof that the customer will in fact attain the value stated? References and examples are critical.)

How would YOU answer these questions for each of your prospects or customers? If you don't have the answers, expect resistance. If you do have answers and your solution is directly linked to your customer's articulated needs, you will be successful even in these difficult times.

Successful reps tell their customers what the value to them is ? customers shouldn't have to work to figure it out themselves. If you don't explicitly quantify the value your customer can expect to receive, and your competition may be doing this work for your customer, who is going to win the business?

This information comes from Forming Business Relationships, a module in Entelechy's High Performance Sales training. Check out this module as well as our 40 other modules, training tools, and eGuides at http://www.unlockit.com.

About The Author

Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Check out our 40 customizable modules, training tools, and eGuides at www.unlockit.com. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com

---

Automating Your Help Desk Workflow

Do you know you can open, answer, close and report... Read More

3 Special Benefits Every Customer Wants

Every customer looks for 3 special benefits when they do... Read More

Stand Out in Business the Write Way

When was the last time you received a handwritten note... Read More

Treating the Customer Dissatisfaction Epidemic: How to Go Beyond Simply Masking the Symptoms

Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before... Read More

4 Myths about Customer Value

The purpose of business is to create and retain a... Read More

We Got It Wrong: Never Under Promise & Over Deliver

You know how it is, you believe something for so... Read More

Cultivating the Trust Factor

In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain... Read More

Post Office, Incredible Lady Postmaster

There are two Post Offices that I routinely visit. One... Read More

You Bever Know Who Youre Serving

You Never Know Who You're Serving when customers turn irate.I... Read More

Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships

If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with... Read More

Ten Ways to Help You Improve Your Customer Service

1. Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis.... Read More

What Exactly is Customer Relationship Management?

The defintion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that I favor... Read More

Increase Sum in Your Check Account with Follow-Ups

We'll be examining what makes follow up to prospects/customers so... Read More

Customer Service - A Lost Art?

Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that... Read More

Make Sure You Get The Customer Perspective

Businesses that fail, often forget to seek out the customer... Read More

Finding Out Why a Potential Customer is Calling On You

Our challenge as the business owner/sales person answering the telephone,... Read More

The Importance of Good Customer Service

Do you have good customer service? Even for your free... Read More

Whats Love Got To Do With It?

Customer Loyalty, we all want it. Don't we?Some people say... Read More

Sorry, No Customer Service After 4:00 P.M.

A few months ago, I wrote about ingenious styles of... Read More

Astonish your Customers With These Customer Service Tips

Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and... Read More

Customer First Customer Service

The world of customer service is rapidly changing. Thirty years... Read More

How To Build a Profitable Business

It's never too soon to start saying thanks to your... Read More

Minimize The Pain of Check Recovery

$350 million in bad checks are written each and every... Read More

Top 10 customer service tips

1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people... Read More

Is Your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System Doomed To Fail?

"Right, People. Let's blast out that mail campaign we've been... Read More