How to Show Value

Most companies suck at communicating the value of their product or service. Apple as a leader in the technology industry has time and again shown the value of its core products; Apple iPhone, Mac Book, Ipad, M1 chip, Apple TV, and more. Customers for example buy Apple iPhone because on the value scale it is perceived to be at the top. The price might be 2x or 3x of competitors' but their perceived or real value is 10x in clients' minds.

Google on the other hand has dominated the search, android, and mail space by offering more value to its customers. Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Tesla, Alibaba, Tencent, and all leading tech companies play in the value space.

In the New York bestseller Book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, he mentions that you should always think of what the other person wants (his pain), and when he gets what he wants you will get what you want. This is step one in showing value.

Here’s how to instantly show your value:

1. Pour salt on the wound: No pain, no sale. People will only value your solution if they value their problem. If they don’t think their problem is that bad, they won’t pay you to solve it. When in doubt, emphasize the pain. Painkillers sell better than vitamins.

2. Use before-and-after: An effective before-and-after skips all the boring parts. It’s like a jump cut in a movie. It emphasizes *contrast*. This heightens drama and interest. The best before-and-afters make you say wow.

?3. Don’t jump right to the solution: Instead, explain how much $ the problem costs and how it’s making your customer’s life hard. Then talk about your product & how you’ll make their problem go away.

4. Show, don’t tell: I came across AI-driven software that reduces background noise on Zoom calls. Their website has a toggle on/off button where you can hear a sound sample without vs with their tool. That demo was worth 10,000 words.

5. Increase desire, don’t just decrease friction: People jump through hoops for things they want. Did you pick your spouse because they were the most convenient option? Of course not. You picked them despite obstacles. FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) is also an important tool and plays a role in increasing the appetite for new solutions.

6. Explain "why now?": Most folks AGREE that your product is great--but they still don’t buy. What they’re really thinking: “Do I need this enough to pay $ right now? Or can I do this later?" Later often means never. Make use of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), as a key driver in justifying why now is the best time. For example, all your peers in the industry are already onboarding this solution.

7. Be/Do/Have: This is a classic framework in leadership coaching but applies to marketing. What does your product let your customer *be* that they weren’t before? What can they *do* now that they couldn’t do before? What do they *have* now that they didn’t have before?

8. Aim for “no-brainer status": You need to aim for an instant yes. Not a yes after 100+ touchpoints of nurturing. Think about what would get that reaction. You likely won’t get an instant yes. But if you aim for it, it’ll speed up getting there.

9. Do what makes their eyes light up (ELU): You can tell when people listen to be polite. But there are moments when aliveness flashes in their eyes--you just said something they care about. Watch for ELU. It's data on what to do more of.

10. Avoid backstory scope creep: It's easy to get carried away sharing background info. Remove 90% of it. You need less backstory than you think.

11. Focus on what your customer wants to hear, not what you want to talk about: This is an easy way to trim from your pitch.

12. Consider overhauling: If you’re struggling to describe your product’s value, figure out if the problem is (A) the marketing or (B) the offer itself. If your underlying offer isn’t good, no amount of improving the marketing will help.

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These are 12 ways to show your value.

What else would you add to the list?

Happy Selling :)