Success Tip 5 – Give More Than You Get!

Success Tip 5 – Give More Than You Get!

Ultimately being in business needs a different approach in today’s different world than ever it do before.

Fact: most businesses approach our new challenge with old principles and ways of doing things and it simply doesn’t serve them.

There was a time when the client had to almost ‘deserve’ special treatment and vendors gauged how they treated the client or prospect based upon how much they spent…if you spent only a little regardless of possible potential then you were viewed and treated as less worthy than those with lager accounts.

Now, whilst I recognise the need to manage resources and yes it is true that one has to be careful not to ‘waste’ that resource especially time… it is also true that as times have changed and the consumer is more educated and expects more then we must as vendors adapt also.

And most don’t.

So, make no mistake…its time to adapt! Give more or slowly be left out in the cold!

Take service businesses for example (and even product vendors have a service element to the business so I guess it’s every business)… especially services that are ‘intangible’ or ‘un-quantifiable’ such as accounting , management consultancy or IT…these are often ‘sold’ with a potential client having to ‘risk’ the dealing before getting the services.

Indeed ,as usually the person purchasing is not of that specialism, this person is in fact buying blind…and because the vendor is ‘protecting his know how’ etc then it is assumed that sadly it cannot be done another way.

Following through, the person purchasing ‘gets what they are given’ and has to assume that they got what they should! Even when they cannot reasonably measure or quantify as it isn’t their area of expertise!

Let’s face it, how many of us know if a tax return is as good as it could be? Honestly? We accept that our accountant has done their best…but is that their best or the best?? And what is best?

And in this new age of mass information and blurred definitions between supplier A and supplier B or C, what are you doing to make sure that you stand out?

Well, amazingly whilst at first glance it seems a difficult challenge and poses many defensive standpoints…like “that’s the way it is in our industry!” or “What else can I do I can’t go giving it to them first because then they’ll have no reason to pay”, the answers if desired are easily found.

Bluntly I recommend that you Stop! – the old way is old…let’s find a newer better way.

Stand back! – let’s give ourselves power and space and thinking time even if only 1 night…and then come up with better ways to serve.

Ask How can I do it better? – and then ask the clients and prospects that you didn’t succeed in selling to. Not the ones who you sold to because they are happy at least for now…but the ones who didn’t buy, why didn’t they? What were their reasons for not moving?

How about we actually consciously try to ‘over deliver’? How about we deliberately focus on ‘giving them far more in use value than ever they pay in cash value’?

Over delivery is the stuff of legend and sadly very, very few companies are world beating in their delivery and customer service.

The absolutely critical mission here is always to give them more in use value than it costs them in cash value.

If you sell a service that for example  a taxi or private hire service…they expect to pay a reasonable market rate for their journey…but they didn’t expect a polite friendly driver who got out of the car…met them at their door, opened the car door, offered help with luggage, had a pleasant smelling car and even refreshments in the car! They didn’t expect a smart almost uniformed non smoking professional…they didn’t expect that the un-expected detour would be waived as unforeseen and therefore nobody’s fault so not chargeable. They didn’t expect it but they got it.

And they got far more in terms of ‘feeling’ and ‘essence’ than they paid for…and that lodged in their mind and you just created the greatest advert you can ever have. Because you gave far more value than the ‘cost equation’ lead them to expect.

Or if you sell advice…possibly even on an hourly rate…they expect help and advice that gets them out of a sticky situation perhaps or gets them into a slightly better business position if they follow the advice…they got advice and paid.

But then you arrived on more than one occasion ‘because you were in the area’ and rolled your sleeves up and helped them actually implement the advice. They got a friend who was available in the evening when their head wasn’t switching off. They got a person who shared family values and life challenges with them not merely business for cash. They got a friend who over and above was there for them…and stuck with them until results came through. They got truly personal service. They got a return on investment that was several times greater in value than the cash they paid out.

Whenever you are faced with any challenge in sufficient flow of work or business towards you

Stop, Stand Back and ask How can I make it better?

Then focus on the prospect and ask what would they want as ‘over delivery’? How can they see added value, unexpected value and what do I need to do for them to get it?

Yes it will probably mean a tweak or change to the way you currently deliver…but in today’s world where there is an abundance of other choices or even not doing it at all, you have to concentrate more on them than on you.

Its them that makes or breaks you… so stop thinking about you and what you say is the way things should be done…let them tell you…then follow their lead and over deliver in value way above the cost and watch as your business soars!

Have a fantastic day…it really can be brilliant and rewarding out there…just give more then they expect to get!

Always with love

Ben

PS need a hand, check out my Business Booster Academy.