Creating value? If you're like most sellers, this is a stretch.
It used to be enough for a seller to deliver on the value that mattered most to the buyer. If a buyer expressed a preference for “made in the USA” and the seller had products manufactured in America, the value was recognized and the solution was sufficient.
As competitive pressures increased, marketers began adding value to incentivize buyers. In addition to meeting preferences like “made in America,” companies began offering added value, everything from the old S&H Green Stamps to today’s Box Tops for Education. For many years, programs and offerings like these ensured buyer loyalty.
This is not the case any longer. Today, the same buyer wants “made in the USA” plus the standard added value AND something more. The “more” is seldom defined. Buyers don’t know exactly what they want, but they know what it is when they find it. Until they find it, they are always on the lookout for it.
For a seller, this is a precarious position. Providing a product but not fully satisfying the buyer opens a window of opportunity for competitors to swoop in and steal the business. This is not an empty alarmist threat. This is what buyers describe. Sellers need to be aware and vigilant to prevent this from happening.
What causes this buyer dissatisfaction? It isn’t always attributable to price or product quality or corporate image. It isn’t necessarily a lack of value or a deficit in added value.
Oftentimes, sellers simply aren't creating value. Even when the reason given by the buyer for choosing another supplier is lower price, superior quality or more appealing brand… Even then, the first inklings of dissatisfaction can be traced back to a lack of value creation by the seller.
Fortunately, creating value is not expensive, time-consuming or difficult. It all starts with a genuine connection and well-crafted questions. Keep reading the CONNECT2Sell Blog or DISCOVER Questions® Get You Connected to learn how YOU can start creating value for your buyers.