The Top 10 Ways to Add Extra Value

Everyone wants the best possible value in every transaction, but each of us defines "value" in different ways. Some customers want the lowest price, while others will place a higher value on reliability, convenience or things like color, popularity (think Pokeman cards!) or durability. The challenge for business is to provide extra value for every customer, at the lowest possible cost of doing business. The following "Top 10" suggestions are particularly suited to service businesses such as coaching or consulting, but can easily be adapted to other environments.

1. "Try before you buy." Give clients a free sample, taste or experience before asking them to commit. This can often be done in groups or teleclasses. Done correctly, it gives you a low-cost opportunity to expose large numbers of potential clients to the value of your service, while giving the potential client a safe, easy way to sample your work.

2. Follow-up after the sale. Much like allowing prospects to sample your work, groups or teleclasses allow you to follow-up, add extra value and potentially sell additional services after the original commitment is over. Many coaches combine these pre- and post- groups into weekly or monthly teleclasses that are open to past clients forever!

3. Client newsletters. Use a weekly newsletter to keep past and current clients informed, add extra insights, techniques, tips and solutions to common problems. Published by email, they are free, and very easy for clients to forward to friends and colleagues, providing you with potential additional marketing. Extra: Insert a quick 1-page newsletter with your monthly billing statement!

4. Let clients share their skills. Invite your clients to share their experiences, their own tips, discoveries and enthusiasm with each other. Host a monthly forum and invite guest speakers. Often a client will have particular expertise or a skill they are willing to share with your other clients either in person or in your newsletter. Everybody wins!

5. Public newsletters. In the "information age", the value of information is rapidly approaching zero, so capitalize on this trend and give away what you know! Display your skills, expertise and wisdom in either electronic form or on paper and invite past and present clients to participate, pass the information along, and provide a marketing forum for your business at the same time. Again, everybody wins!

6. Use your website. Ask your webmaster to add a newsgroup or set up a chat-room on your website. As you develop written material for your clients, post it on your website and make it available to other clients (you can password protect it) or to the general public. Let clients know that your information and experience are available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

7. Celebrate with your clients. This ranges from sending flowers or champagne when they win the big contract, to sending birthday cards and holiday greetings. Everyone needs more hugs than we receive, so give your clients recognition whenever possible. Let them know you care.

8. Commiserate with your clients. Sometimes things don't work out well, they lose contracts or miss the big promotion. That's a great time to "gift" an extra session, to pay for the lunch or pick up the tab for the phone calls. Again, it's about caring and building personal relationships that add real value and go far beyond minimum expectations.

9. Use your network for your client's benefit. One of the most astonishing "extras" is to provide your client with the name of the perfect accountant, lawyer, chiropractor or web designer based on your rolodex of contacts. As your team of resources grows, use their combined talents and strengths to make appropriate referrals and put people in contact with each other. This is a huge extra that costs you nothing!

10. Ask your clients what they need. Routinely, ask your clients how you could go further, provide better service and be more effective with them. Almost always, they are delighted to be asked, they know the answer, and the request they make will typically cost you little or nothing to fulfill but will mean the world to that client.

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

---

Selling Strategy - 5 Ways To Success

Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is... Read More

Chicken Little And The Disintermediation Myth

If Chicken Little were alive today he wouldn't be running... Read More

Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters

When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule... Read More

How To Sell Your Products or Services on Value And Stop Selling On Price Alone

Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect... Read More

The Hands On Approach

While living in the technology age where everything is computerized,... Read More

Picture Yourself a Winner

In the work place, the amount of good things that... Read More

First, Fast, And Foremost . . .

First - being before all others. Fast - moving or... Read More

Ten Top Tips for Terminating Telephone Terror

1. Make telephone callsFew things are more terrifying than the... Read More

How to Create Material That Will Get You Sales Now!

WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS BROCHURE OR SALES LETTER? A... Read More

Finding a Used Mannequin

Many stores on a budget choose to buy a used... Read More

Lead Generation Sins - 7 Of Them!

I really just don't get it.How can so many businesses... Read More

The Benefits of Display Mannequins

Mannequins are primarily used in stores to display clothing. A... Read More

Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, It?s A Process

In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training... Read More

How Many Ways Do You Have To Justify Your Price?

If you were selling a mansion, and you were selling... Read More

Looong and Boooring Sales Letters

You have all seen them,the sales letters that never ends.... Read More

How To Dramatically Improve Sales Closing Ratios

A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing... Read More

Voice Mail That Sells

As a business owner, I receive my share of sales... Read More

How to Build A Steady Stream of Customers--Step One

The success of a small business depends upon a steady... Read More

Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client

Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every... Read More

How To Set Goals and Achieve Them

We use only 5% of God's given potential, 95% of... Read More

Keep the Referrals Coming

A key method of our survival in the business and... Read More

10 Mistakes That Reduce Profitability

In my professional experience as a sales and marketing coach/consultant,... Read More

How to Blow Rapport Really Fast

Do you have 5, 10, or 20 years of sales... Read More

Eighty Percent of Success is Showing Up

The above quote, "Eighty percent of success is showing up."... Read More

Talking To A Prospect As If To A Friend

While working with a new coaching client, I asked to... Read More

Everyones Favorite Topic - 3 Tips for How To

I believe that everyone understands that no matter what business... Read More

Tapping The Potential Of Your Customers

Business owners of long standing know the cardinal rule "take... Read More

How Leaky is Your Sales Pipeline?

Does your Sales Pipeline leak? If you answered no, you... Read More

Sex Sells!

An attractive woman has a decided advantage as sales representative... Read More

Three Ways to Get More Referrals

When you are in the business of sales, among the... Read More

Cold Calling Reluctance

Most salespeople I know consider cold calling a dreadful, but... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 1

Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that... Read More

Selling Your Way To Success

I wonder when we decided to become a sales person.... Read More