Thursday, September 19, 2013

Building Client Value In Your Offers

By Daniel Carlson


If you've ever read a book on sales or offer writing, or attended a sales training course you'll have heard this before. Even if that's the case, it can't hurt to hear again. One of the first topics that's always covered is features, advantages and benefits. In the final analysis any offer whether verbal or written has to persuade somebody to take an action. This is done by demonstrating the benefits of taking that plan. Clearly communicating what those benefits are will determine whether or not your offer will be received.

On a smaller sale, particularly with products, it is often straightforward to list benefits, but with larger proposals you will need to search harder to comprehend the client's business problem and explain the benefits of your solution - that is, how effectively and efficiently your solution disentangles their business problem.

Your solution should demonstrate not only value in price, but in the services that you offer. Value's the balance of cost versus benefit, thus you must be explicit in highlighting the advantages to the customer. The first rule of sales is usually offering value to your clients, even more than they might expect. Put simply, you don't have to be the least expensive suggestion provided you are offering more than what others are supplying.

Regularly when a contract has been lost, the client will make it obvious that you were too expensive - but no-one ever gets told that they won because they were the least expensive. It's the best solution that often wins, the one that offers the best benefits. This is going to be the most expensive solution, but it still may offer the best value.

So how do you create customer value? First you want to take time to understand the client's requirements. When you receive an Invitation to Tender, get back to the customer instantly with questions. Call them. Ask for a meeting. You will have had involvement with the client pre-tender and have an appreciation of their business.

You have to be able to demonstrate an experience of their business need in order to demonstrate that your solution will deliver the required benefits. You must also understand their business if you hope to be well placed to offer a valuable service to them. WIthout understanding what they need , you'll have a difficult time deciding upon what to supply that may convince them that your solution is the most appropriate one for their business.

When writing your offer, use content tailored towards the customer and their business problem. We all copy reusable text, or boilerplate in suggestions, but customise it to the customer. Include their name, particularly in the executive outline. Make sure they know that the offer is about them, not about you.

Directly address your customer's issues and offer convincing ideas with distinct solution benefits and support your debates with evidence. When have you delivered a corresponding service or solution in the past? How did that client benefit? Demonstrate your capability to deliver on your guarantee.

Ensure a value proposition is clearly laid out and easy to understand. Are you able to include an investment return model for the customer? If so do it you are showing the client you understand how to save their business money. In the final analysis the best offer is not the cheapest, but the one that offers the most benefit to the consumer for the price that they're is paying. If you can do that regularly, you will always have masses of business.




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