Cambridge Business Association
Value
Book

Value

How to Talk About What You Do so People Want to Buy It

Robyn Haydon
Durban Professionals Press, 2016
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Australian business development consultant Robyn Haydon explains why customers should focus on the “value” of the services their suppliers provide, not just on the price. Customers should look for purchases that convey important “value attributes,” such as being “safer, cheaper, simpler, faster, smarter” or “better.” She also warns sellers to push against letting customers treat their offerings as interchangeable commodities. Sellers should tout the benefits they offer to their clients – services that create value – not their methods or practices. Haydon tends to interpose analysis with anecdotes, and the book’s disjoined structure makes it a challenging read. Still, getAbstract believes that executives in firms that buy or sell services will find that this conversation addresses issues that confront them daily.

Summary

Defining Yourself

If you sell services, you want to know how your customers see themselves and their aspirations, so you can fulfill their wishes. You can find guidance from psychology and social science whose experts explore human “identity.” Current findings indicate that the customers who buy your services have a self-perception that they will try to reinforce in their purchasing choices. They consider whom they buy from to be as important as what they buy. If they see themselves as principled about sustainability, they may seek environmentally friendly products. If they perceive themselves as giving, they might sponsor charitable projects. If they see themselves as financially prudent, they seek bargains and tell their associates about them.

To get people to buy from you, tap into their self-perceptions. You may already offer an incredible service of great value, but you must convey what you offer and how it benefits your clients in a way that they will understand and that will inspire them to buy from you.

The Divide

Many companies that provide services to businesses used to employ talented reps who could take on a variety of challenges. They applied...

About the Author

As a leading business development consultant in Australia, Robyn Haydon helps companies with acquisitions, bids, proposals, tender responses and customer loyalty strategies.

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