The Gauntlet
Enduring customer relationships are the result of continuously creating value for your customer. That value is different for each one, and it evolves over time. What a customer values changes with their
circumstances, and in most cases, what they value is more complex than getting the lowest price.
The challenge is to remain engaged with the customer when no immediate opportunity is apparent. This is the time to be generous with your experience and competency so that your commitment to their success is evident. This is the time to explore what they value and why, and to discover what causes this to change, so you may adapt more quickly to their needs. This is the time when you can begin posturing your proposed solutions as investments in their progress rather than as one-time transactions so you are seen more as partner than peddler.
Your solutions will be viewed more as investments rather than transactions when:
- They help achieve a strategic goal while resolving a short-term need;
- They minimize the customer’s risk while optimizing the benefits produced;
- They reveal how your company’s expertise and distinctiveness create value for your customer.
How could your proposed solutions be postured as investments in your customers’ success?
