If Sales Are Slow…
05 Apr 2013 Leave a Comment
in Marketing TIPS Tags: Sales, value propositions
If Sales Are Slow…
You’ve probably heard the saying, “People like to buy, but they don’t like being sold to.” But you may wonder what it really means.
It means that people are buying what you sell. It means people are spending money. But it also means that people are only willing to open their wallets and part with their money if one condition is met first. That condition is met when you’ve presented a clear value proposition.
Wikipedia defines a value proposition as “a business or marketing statement that describes why a customer should buy a product or use a service. It is a clearly defined statement that is designed to convince customers that one particular product or service will add more value or better solve a problem than others in its competitive set.”
In plain speak, this means a prospect won’t buy from you until the value of your products and services is clearly presented in such a way that the decision to buy is second nature. This value must also be superior to what competitors are offering.
This value proposition doesn’t mean lowering your price or being the cheapest in the marketplace. That’s typically a losing value proposition. A winning value proposition is one where you add benefits that others can’t or won’t match.
Once you’ve defined your winning value proposition, it’s time to clearly communicate that statement with your audience via all of the marketing and sales channels available to you.
Sales will improve dramatically once you’ve articulated a clear and powerful value proposition. You’ll know it’s the right one when your prospects feel like they’re buying from you, not just being sold to.
Complaints: Problem Solvers in Disguise
01 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: complaints, follow-up, value propositions
While it’s hard to think of customer complaints as a good thing, most of them are actually great problem-solving tools for your business. Valid complaints expose problems that cost your business time and money.
With that in mind, here are a few ways to deal with and learn from customer complaints:
- Offer several convenient ways for customers to express their dissatisfaction, such as customer surveys, comment cards, a toll-free number, a dedicated email address, and an online feedback form.
- Listen to customers, and let them tell their story without interrupting.
- Apologize for the issue they are experiencing.
- Take necessary actions immediately to resolve the issue and re-establish rapport.
- Ask customers for suggestions for improvement. Sometimes the solution may be easier than you think.
- Thank customers for bringing issues to your attention.
- Gather as much data as you can about customer complaints, and share them within your business. While all issues should be addressed, you may want to start by fixing those that waste the most time and cost the most money.
- Follow-up with customers to be sure their issues were solved and that they were satisfied with the outcome.
Customers who complain and have a problem solved are generally much more loyal than those who are simply happy with your business. Regardless of the issue at hand, one of the easiest ways to ensure customer satisfaction is by reminding them you’re all ears.
