The market cultivates commoditization – easy access to information, simplistic assessments meant to hastily define you, and alternatives that prioritize price over value. All is done with minimal dialogue, to hasten the transaction, saving time and money for the supplier, and perhaps for you too. If your objective is to be perceived as a commodity supplier, then this process is effective for you.
But if your strategy is to be distinctive, then you must find an efficient means to discover what a customer values, and then propose solutions that will deliver the required benefits.
A discovery process reveals how your knowledge and expertise, delivered through your product or service, creates value for the customer. It uncovers a customer’s unstated needs, along with their stated ones, and resolves why these are important. Asking the right questions, in the right order, clarifies the customer’s current circumstances, their aspirations in addition to needs, and the barriers to be overcome so goals can be achieved. The resulting dialogue heightens the customer’s sense that prompt action is necessary, while providing insight into their decision-making process.
Discovery motivates the customer to do most of the talking, providing you with an opportunity to demonstrate empathy, competency and a commitment to their success. Proceeding without discovering why resolving their problem is important to them positions you as a commodity supplier, wasting your opportunity to be distinctive.
Discovery defeats commoditization.
How well does your discovery process uncover what a customer values?
How consistently does your team implement this process?
