Higher Growth – Customers Don’t Want Your Service, They Want Outcomes…
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy Disney
By Edward Lawrence Emerson
I remember the first time I heard the statement:
“They (customers) aren’t interested in your products or your services. What they areinterested in are outcomes. What you’re selling them is simply a means to an end.”
I hated it.
And, of course, he was right.
A Means to an End
What really boiled my grits was the alleged lack of concern on the part of the customer who, prior to wooing them with endless creative enticements and the like, I had sacrificed the blood, sweat and tears squeezed from my soul and out through my fingertips to deliver that little “means to an end”.
And that objection was pure vanity: the last thing that ever leaves the startup company autopsy table.
That said, I’m not suggesting you ever stop falling in love with what you do.
But always put your values above your vanity, and on top of that foundation, build your customer value proposition.
The Three Parts of the Value Proposition
Customer perception is sancrosanct. As Warren Buffett reminds us: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
Exceptional value propositions can win the customer perception war and make you into an industry leader.
And they (value propositions) are comprised of three elements:
1) They are customer/client driven – You have to know what it is that customers actually value from your product or service; the outcome it delivers measured against those of your competitors. Sounds simple. It’s not.
2) They are aligned with client values – Collaboration is as vastly overused as it is misunderstood. Don’t think of it as working together. Think of a collaborative value proposition as “growing” together. Growth enhancing value propositions crown industry leaders.
3) They evolve – See point two above. Now think of the value proposition as factoring in how your company’s offering has developing through that collaborative growth. Does that mean you abandon the initial product/service offering? Absolutely not. Your clients will all grow at different paces.
Endgames
As a final point, the evolution of a value proposition should also lead to your product/service becoming a platform from which other products/services are launched.
We will continue to refer back to the concept of “platforming” on the pages of HNW, as it is the backbone of higher growth…and your high net world.
The Higher Growth Tips Continue Here…
The Serial Business Killer – Read
You Can’t “Hack” High Growth – Read
Are You Building A Business Or A Client List – Read
Is Your Business A Hostage To Vanity? Read