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There are many reasons a sales effort can fail … but ultimately sales will be less
productive when you fail to quantify the value of your offering. This issue is one of the key considerations in message
development: does your message really talk about things that
matter to the customer?
Customers won’t truly care about the numerous,
wonderful features or benefits of your product until you help them realize the value
that impacts their circumstances. Can it deliver improved performance? Enhance
the bottom line? Save money or time? Is it more enjoyable, more accurate, easier?
To understand the concept better, think of this
example: a new car shopper probably won’t care about the flywheel and valves of
your anti-lock braking system or how they enhance control in adverse
conditions. But … when you show how anti-lock brakes make the car significantly safer for their family, you have their
attention. Now you’re talking about something important to them.
How do you get to this ultimate value statement? One
helpful Messaging exercise consists of inventorying each of your product or service
features and their corresponding benefits. Then drill deeper to identify the powerful
value — that ultimate way you can make your client’s life better. This exercise
can be very thought provoking, often showing how easily we default to listing features
instead of putting thought into defining the more compelling value.
You only have a moment to meaningfully capture
and hold a time-starved prospect’s attention. Make sure you’re “spending” your
message on value that really matters to the customer rather than things that
matter to you.
Tags: messaging / value / benefits