Loyal Customers
How to describe the technical benefits of your service
Your clients want to know what’s in it for them when they buy from you. They want to know the benefits of using your service. Note the plural use of the word: there are always multiple benefits and as a business owner or leader, you must know what they are. Last time (link above) we…
Read MoreThe jargon you don’t know you are using: how to find & replace it 🗣️
What jargon is jargon? When does a word go from being simply a word to being almost nonsensical? What is the tipping point from “I’m talking” to “I have stopped making much sense”? I feel so strongly about the (mis)use of jargon that I have a whole series of jargon-related posts on this website. My…
Read MoreHow to use WIIFM (what’s in it for them)
Trust your customers to know what they want. And when you sell to other businesses, those are mainly business-related achievements. But businesses are still run by people, and people are ultimately driven by the WIIFM urge. Saying “what’s in it for me” conjured too many negative stereotypes, so allow me to debunk this impression right…
Read MoreCompetitive Advantage: Know Thyself
This saying from ancient Greek, “know thyself”, is often used as a warning against boastfulness. That’s good advice when it comes to describing your competitive advantage. You don’t want a value proposition that merely says you are better than the competition. Indeed, you don’t want a value proposition that talks about your competition at all. …
Read MoreWhat are your clients thinking about when they buy from you
The answer is: it’s not about you. So how do your customers buy? Deciding to buy something means knowing that choice is the best option; using the money there instead of somewhere else, hoping it will be a long-term solution, considering what else has to change to accept this new product and more. The better…
Read MoreYes: Your Clients Know What They Want
It is a common refrain: “My clients come to me without knowing what they want. But I listen and learn and then I can guide them.” There are two sentences there, and only one of them is correct. What clients want When I come across a client expressing this sentiment I always pause for a…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Next Customer Doing, Right Now?
How do you know who is ready to buy from you, right now? How do you know who else would be willing to buy from you, if you managed to speak with them? How do you know who else would buy from you if only they knew that you existed? How do you know who…
Read MoreThe problem with offering discounts
Discounts and low prices are not the same things. We all know the problem with competing on price, and discounts mean the opposite: the price is higher than desired, so a discount will allow the client to make the purchase. In which case, discounts are a safe negotiation tactic, right? Wrong. Let’s take a closer…
Read MoreIt’s All About Service
It has finally happened: it is 2020 and your business advantage is all about service. Back in 2018, I spoke at Jim Moran Institute Small Business Leadership Conference. My talk was a workshop to focus attention on how customers buy, rather than how businesses sell. The theme that year was “It’s all about the customer”.…
Read MoreWhy Should I Care About Branding?
A question I have heard many times, though expressed in different ways. It might be: “A brand is a logo and colors, right?” Or else: “I am my brand, what else do I need?” It is not always clear what a brand is, or why it matters to a business. Branding is everything you do…
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