When we sell or think about our products and services, it is pretty easy for any of us to spend too much time focusing on what we think is valuable and what we think ought to be important to our buyers.
The truth is that this way of looking at value is entirely backwards.
What we think is valuable isn’t meaningful at all.
Unless we take some time to put ourselves in our customers and prospects shoes, we are destined to be spinning our wheels.
So what do you do to make sure that you understand what your customer values?
First, you need to think about what is the big challenge or opportunity that your prospects and customers are dealing with?
On many occasions I have talked about everyone’s willingness and ease with solving problems. Which in most cases doesn’t do a great deal to grow a business or put the organization in a position to succeed in the long run.
So the first thing about value that we need to understand is what exactly the opportunities and challenges look like from our prospects’ point of view.
Next, how does your product or service improve their situation.
Don’t be that person that thinks and acts like they can help anyone, even if it is true…is that the way you want to go through life, chasing anyone that will talk to you?
To make a big jump forward in the way you look at value, you need to spend some time actually looking at what specifically you can do to improve your partners’ situation.
Finally, do the words and actions you take and produce convey your understanding of their situation?
Are you adding value in your words and actions?
Part of understanding what value means to your partners is to be able to speak and act towards them in a manner that enables to know that you are paying attention to them and their situation.
It may seem strange, but it is true.
A really great way of understanding value from your customers’ POV is to make sure that your language and actions lines up with their concerns.