Posted by David Bennett
Wed, 07 Jun 2006 15:24:00 GMT
The Most Important Questions You Can Ask Your Customer!
How do you craft a "Specific Value Proposition"? It all comes down to KNOWLEDGE: how much you really know about your prospect or customer. Here are some questions you should be asking:
1. Mr/Ms Customer, of all the professionals you’ve work with (not just my service), who is your favorite or the one whose relationship you most value?
2. What is it that they do that makes them so valuable?"
These questions can help you answer the following questions:
Do you really understand their needs and why those needs exist?
Do you understand their personal or business issues and challenges?
Their future plans and directions?
Do you know your customer as well as you know your company’s products and services?
If you want to become a most valuable service provider to you customers you need to find out how to do that. Chances are your customers have plenty of experience with sales people and know what they like and what they don’t. By asking the "value questions" you’ll get an honest answer from your customer that won’t feel like a customer demand or part of the sale negotiation.
And then you can work on becoming your customer’s new favorite sales associate!
Posted in Important Questions to Ask, Interviews with customers/clients, Do Your Own Research
back to top
Posted by David Bennett
Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:35:00 GMT
On the Internet, you can set up surveys on your website to gauge what consumers think. If you do not have a website, go to websites that aggregate customer experiences and reviews, like Homethinking.com and others to see what consumers say when they rate agents.
One company set up a discussion list at Topica.com. The results were excellent. Their users had a place in which to share their problems and solutions. And the company had a place where they could listen to their customers and REALLY find out what they wanted. But even without a listserv, there are still many places online where you can listen in to what your customers are saying, thinking and feeling.
Posted in Do Your Own Research, Your Internet Research, What are your service offerings?, Worth your Commission
back to top
Posted by David Bennett
Wed, 07 Jun 2006 15:18:00 GMT
The Power of KNOW: It’s All About the Value Proposition
Yes, you CAN win any listing or sale … or at least get out of the unwinnable ones before you’ve invested too much selling time!
In a sense selling is so simple. Any customer who is even considering a purchase of a product or service has a value proposition in their mind, i.e., more than "need", a vision of the results they will gain from making a purchase. You sell successfully when you meet or exceed the customer’s expected value proposition. You fail when you come up short (your value proposition doesn’t align with or meet the customer’s) or the competition creates a better value proposition.
The key to offering a compelling value proposition is in knowing the customer’s expected value proposition, not just their stated needs. Too often as sales reps we ask a few need-type questions then take our value propositions (list of product benefits?) and pitch them to the customer, looking for a fit. We do it because it’s easy, quick, and doesn’t require us to do a lot of "knowing", i.e., exploring to find the customer’s expected value proposition.
Posted in Do Your Own Research, Consumer Research, Interviews with customers/clients, Know what the Customer Values
back to top
Posted by David Bennett
Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:38:00 GMT
The consumer is key to the entire process – the customer/client drives the value proposition
There are as many ‘value propositions’ as there are customers or clients. Each one is unique and has different needs. There is no one blanket value proposition. In order for a value proposition to be effective it has to be customized to specific needs.
Defining your value proposition is an ongoing process, but it is a critical one.
Think about shifting your perspective – it’s not about selling your services, the value proposition is about understanding and meeting an individual customer or client’s needs. A value proposition realizes the constraints and climate the customer/client is working under and responds by providing positive solutions or value.
Posted in Do Your Own Research, Focus on the Consumer
back to top
