"If you don't value what you bring to the customer, they won't value it either," is Smith's mantra. It may be product durability, the company's reputation for customer service, or safety features. Why? Because there's something else they value more than the product itself. If someone wants to buy a camera, a doorknob, a car, they can drive to the nearest store or order from the first company that pops up on Google. Customers are usually looking for "how" things are sold, not "what." For most products, there are any number of suppliers.Smith offers these tips for getting to know your customers - and potential customers - so you can deliver what they want and adjust your sales and marketing message to become more relevant. They are often shocked to learn what is at the top of the customers' value list.
Her analysis of 10 years of double-blind customer market research for more than 100 businesses revealed that, 90 percent of the time, most businesses do not know their customers' top values. It's an essential practice for any business owner during any economic cycle, Smith says, but most don't do it. Smith's company analyzed more than 150 customer surveys to learn why customers buy particular products or services from particular companies.
With demand increasing, customers have more difficulty getting what they want on time."
"Now, on-time delivery outranks that because so many businesses cut back their inventory during the worst of the recession. "One year ago, people were looking for financial stability in companies they were purchasing from because of all of the business closings," she says, citing surveys conducted by her company, Smart Advantage, Inc. "The businesses who become relevant by addressing what customers really value at any given time will be the first ones out of the recession," says Smith, whose newest book, Relevant Selling ( is now available. What customers value most changes constantly, and the pace of change has increased exponentially with the economic recession, says marketing/management expert and best-selling author Jaynie L.
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