To grow your business, you can add new customers, raise your average unit price, or increase your orders from existing customers. The third strategy has proven to be the most productive method for generating sustainable growth; successfully implement one of the other two as well, and growth can be exponential.
Key to increasing your business with current customers is proving that you’re focused on solving, not selling – that you’re not seeking one-time transactions, but rather are committed to creating value for them by producing quantifiable benefits which resolve short-term needs, while also helping them progress towards their strategic goals.
Value is different for each customer, so the first step is to discover why solving their problem is important for them. This diagnostic exercise provides the opportunity to reveal your organization’s experience and expertise, and your genuine interest in their success. It also shifts the perception of your proposal from a price-driven, single transaction to an investment in value creation for them. This is the foundation for an enduring relationship that creates future opportunities.
For your proposal to be seen as more than a transaction:
… it should resolve the customer’s problem while contributing to their strategic progress,
… it should reveal your company’s expertise, distinctiveness, and credibility,
… and, it should enable the customer to perceive your offering as the highest value, lowest risk alternative.
How consistently do your proposals seek to solve rather than sell?
