Value-adds = attention = sales bliss….Tip 7

Value-adds is the most important and often most effective and cheapest way of getting the attention and turning it into sales bliss says Mario Pretorius. “Businesses without value adds are a “me-too and bound for the scrapheap of price wars,” he asserts.GK

add_value MarioAlways, always focus on improving your value-adds, which must have distinguishing, perceived value factors in the eyes of the target market.

Being the ‘best’ is – without fail – on every vision/mission/ethos scribble I have seen. It begets the question what “best” could be. It is answered in two words: “best chosen”. We humans are a bag of bacteria masquerading as God’s finest on the day He was close to a humour failure. We are not rational. But we rationalise every decision down to Ted Bundy.

We make emotional decisions without being in control of our emotions. We are persuaded by fear more than by satisfaction – three times more. We are at best unguided missiles in the decision making process, commercially often choosing Safe over Wow.

In contrast, your sales Seal Force are rational, motivated, guided and loaded.

But how will they distinguish your offering to drag the prospect from his current affiliation that he chose before and did not get fired for choosing?

That’s where your life-long obsession with value-adds must come in. Everyone loves getting a little extra, a little more, a something-for-nothing. That’s not what you are offering, but you are tapping into the same vein of getting their attention.

Value-adds is the most important and often most effective and cheapest way of getting the attention and turning it into sales bliss.

The easy value adds hinge on price and promotions. These fade and the market share gained is costly.

Put on your customer’s shoes and walk that mile. Swop for your own slippers and leisurely think through the offers.

At TeleMasters we pitched an idea 18 years ago that no-one in our industry dared emulate – no-one wants to be a me-too. We put out a guarantee on price – we will always beat the market incumbent and will print a cheque every month for every customer on exactly how much cheaper we were for the same calls (we sell telecoms services).

We expanded that to an uptime guarantee –if we can’t connect 95% of all calls…goodbye to our contract. Such are long-lasting value adds. It not only distinguishes you from the others – it parks that value add firmly in your corner, perhaps forever.

Next we’re giving a voice clarity guarantee. And so on. This distinguishes us on the two fronts important in the phone game: quality and price.

Your value adds must be specific. Deliver on Saturdays. Buy-my-product for 90 days (we have that one too!). The amount of time out into creating value adds will help focus you on what the customer wants (but does not know yet).

Businesses without value adds are me-too and bound for the scrapheap of price wars. ‘Package’ your offering different. No credit checks; 1-page contract (you guessed it, also ours). 24-hour installation instead of six weeks (it took us four years to work out that one and get it done). Surprise and delight the people who want to do business with you but can’t tell their Boss why they chose you.

Value adds can pull it through for you.

This tip is an extract from the manuscript of “The Unconventional CEO: Common sense outside of conventional Management thinking” (by Mario Pretorius).

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