Being able to effectively communicate the value of your products or services is critical to the success of any business. While many companies excel at describing what they do, they often struggle to articulate how their offerings benefit their customers. This communication gap can lead to missed opportunities and lost sales.
To bridge this gap, companies must develop strategies that help them clearly and convincingly communicate the value they offer. Below, 19 gotechbusiness.com Business Council members explore some of the best tips and practices for conveying the value of your offering to customers.
Contents
1. Focus on what creates value
Expertise, experience and education all create a basis for value. It’s important to craft the message in a clear and concise way for customers to understand, but we can’t assume they’ll understand a general claim of value without the background. To take it one step further, customer testimonials they can identify with go a long way. – Laura Scotti, ScottiWorks
2. Improve your value proposition through surveys
Customer surveys are a secret weapon to find and hone your value proposition. The key is not to over-design the surveys. Instead, ask simple and open-ended questions that allow you to discover common themes directly from your customers. I like this open-ended question, “What would you tell a colleague about our company?” – Liz Giorgi, shortly
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3. Always focus on the customer
Find out what challenges your customers are facing and demonstrate your value by actually providing value. Walk the walk, don’t just talk. Prove it to the customer by offering something of value, showing them what you do instead of asking for something. This builds an authentic relationship rather than a pushy interaction. Show the customer instead of telling. – Bet Jannery, Titan strategic communications
4. Tell a story
Storytelling works for many purposes and it works well for communicating the value your business offers. Interesting stories have a conflict (the problem your customer needs to solve) and a solution (your product). The hero is the customer, not you! The end of the story is about how the hero lives a better life, which results in your product or service in practice. – Aslak de Silva, Shop yourself
5. Emphasize the benefits your product/service offers
Instead of listing features, clearly state how those features solve a problem or meet a customer need. Make sure your messaging is consistent across all channels, from your website and social media profiles to your marketing collateral. – Corey Scurlock, Equim Medical
6. Use case studies and practical examples
One thing I like to do is to never demonstrate the product during the first interactions with customers. The moment a product is introduced to the conversation, you become a cost rather than a solution. How do you discuss what you offer without showing what you have to offer? They are practical examples, case studies or customer stories that show the meaningful value of a product. – Joseph Tom, Jugo
7. Communicate your brand promise
Your brand promise should be at the center of all communication. To craft the right message for your audience, you need to align all members of your team with it. It’s not just the responsibility of the sales department; every team member of the company is responsible for conveying the same message. – Francisco Ramirez, The ACE group (TAG)
8. Show, not just tell
Talking about what you do is easy, but conveying the value of your products or services to customers is a completely different story. So, here’s my tip: don’t just show off fancy features. Illustrate how you will improve their lives. Paint a clear picture of the benefits and problems you solve. Plus, use success stories to demonstrate your worth. – Chris Kille, Pay pilot
9. Tell customer stories
Highlight how your products or services have helped real customers achieve their goals. This will convey the tangible value you add in a way that is relatable and highly engaging. Since we started using case studies, customer success stories and testimonials to show the real impact of our products, we’ve experienced a boost in our conversion and engagement. – Ifiok Nkem, Marketing Blocks
10. Provide solutions for customer pain points
Companies should focus on addressing their customers’ pain points and show how their offerings can solve those problems. Providing concrete examples and case studies can help illustrate the impact and benefits of their products or services. In addition, companies must be transparent and communicate clearly about their prices and how they compare to competitors in the market. – Yasmin Walter, KMD Books
11. Show what’s at stake
It’s not enough to describe the problem and how you solved it; you also need to show what was at stake for your client and how you approached the solution uniquely. Whenever possible, use data that is meaningful to potential customers and partners. – Nelle Callahan, Frontwood Strategies
12. Explain both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’
A product or service has two components: a ‘how’ and a ‘why’. Most companies focus on one or the other, but not both. To connect with your target audience and help them see the value, focus on the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ together. Then connect that to your prospect by asking how that fits them. Value should be associated with them, not you or what you think it is. – Robert Depalo, National Financial Network
One strategy that has worked for us is using customer testimonials and reviews to communicate the value proposition of our products. These don’t even have to be solicited reviews. You can search social media for user-generated content about your product, what it does, and why it’s better. Customers are more likely to believe in another customer’s experience than in a marketing video or ad. – Eric Pam, Health channel
14. Sell the benefits, not the product
Don’t talk about your product and how it works. Sell the benefit of the solution. If you’re selling air conditioners, focus on all the great things you can do when you’re not hot, sweaty and miserable – don’t sell energy efficiency and related tech features. – Joseph Edgar, SnapAds
15. Be ‘Outward Looking’
Because we usually focus on improving our business, we are ‘inward looking’. To successfully communicate for influence and sales, you must be “outward-facing” and meet the emotional and rational needs and wants of your audience. To be audience oriented, start by really understanding them to learn what they feel or think can improve their lives. Then present your message so that it resonates with them! – Jerry Kan, Brilliant aging
16. Use what you sell
I once had a temp agency try to sell me a database of potential employees they thought would be a good fit for our company. When I asked the rep if his firm uses his databases to staff his own organization, he told me they didn’t – which was all I wanted to hear. I had no interest in buying what they didn’t use themselves. – Dr. David Lenihan, Tiber Health
17. Highlight customer success
To effectively communicate value, focus on telling stories that highlight customer success. Share specific, relatable examples of how your products or services solved a problem or improved a customer’s life. Use testimonials, case studies or success stories to illustrate the real impact of your offering. Highlight unique benefits and differentiators and connect emotionally with your audience. – Dustin Lemick, Brite Co
18. Differentiate yourself from the competition
Communicate consistently across all marketing and communication channels, including the company’s website, social media, advertising and sales materials. Effectively communicating their value proposition helps companies differentiate themselves from their competitors and clearly articulate the benefits of their offerings to potential customers. – Tammy sons, Tn Nursery
19. Think like a consumer
At your next company meeting, ask employees what your company does. Follow this up by asking them why people should care about what your company does. This is a great way to help people realize that the conversation topics they care about may not really matter to customers and prospects. It helps put people in the customer’s shoes. – Ty Allen, SocialClimb
