In times such as these we are 100% tempted to give away the farm, but let me tell you, that is not the answer. In order to provide for yourself you need to make money. The one question everyone needs to ask themselves? How can my business Add More Value? Our communities are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, scared, and getting a little stir crazy at home with Covid-19 in our midst. Our businesses are changing and the world as we know it is completely different than it was 3 months ago. By extending your services in new ways you not only can bring value, but build customer loyalty. Here are the 6 ways you can add more value as a service provider and reinvent your business.
I won’t pretend I have all the answers, because right now no one does, but there are a few things you can do to jump start more engagement and boost your customer loyalty while keeping your social distance.
Remember that your customer is in this with you and is navigating many different ways of how to handle this situation.
This is why it is important to think outside of the box about how you can bring an experience to your customer that they can enjoy in the comfort of their own home.
You have two choices:
- Keep functioning the way you always have
- Or take a step back, assess, and focus on chat you can change to help your customer and to better your business.
Decide how you want to show up. Decide what your people want and what you can provide them.
The 6 ways to add value for your customer & Reinvent Your Business
- Do a mind map exercise on how you can bring additional value to your customer
- Listen to your customer’s feedback
- Take your biggest selling product or service and add an additional feature or benefit
- Identify your best resources and make them available to your clients right now for a period of time.
- Collaboration with other businesses, bring them to your audience
- Focus on Response not on Events
Do a mind map exercise on how you can bring additional value to your customer
A mind map exercise is where you put your product and/or service in the center of your paper and then identify topics or subjects that relate to that service branching off of it. This will allow you to expand on your offering and identify opportunities to make your customer’s experience more memorable.
"Forget about what is missing and focus on what is available"
-Dan Sullivan (Strategic Coach)
When you focus on what is missing you are distracting yourself. You will appreciate what was that much more, but tune in your focus in a more direct way to the available options you can pursue.
Service Example: if it is a service your map may look like this:
Let’s say you offer both products and services, here is a mind map product example:
Once you put these on paper you will be able to decide what your minimal viable products are and what ideas will most benefit you and your customer.
You may even want to take each option and write out your pro’s and con’s to determine both feasibility, cost, & effort.
Listen to your Customer’s Feedback
Listening to your customers is the most important skill set in business. When you get really clear on what your customer thinks and feels you will be able to bring them what they are looking for (entrepreneur.com)
For example, what better way if you're enhancing your product or service to ask your audience their thoughts.
Here are 3 benefits of getting feedback from your customer:
- You get feedback before launching & you can get additional ideas on offerings or features that your customers would like.
- Your customers feel more loyal to your offering
- You keep your customers engaging with your brand and top of mind.
How to ask your audience for feedback?
- Create a survey on google forms and post it in your social media accounts
- Send an email with a link to a survey and provide an incentive for a percentage off their next order or entry into a giveaway for participating.
- Send a link on their delivered package to fill out a survey
- If you have a brick and mortar location then you can verbally or in print indicate your new idea and ask your customers for feedback or to take a vote!
Take your biggest selling product or service and add an additional feature or benefit
Regardless of your service, there is always a way to add a little extra. Consider when the last time you ordered something in the mail and they wow’ed you with the extra touches.
What about the last service provider you worked with? Did they send a thank you card? What did they do to make your experience memorable?
Here are some of the ways you can bring more and additional element of value to your service
- Look at the additional skills you have relevant to the service you are providing and create tip sheets that you can send to your customers via email or social media
- IE) painting and event studio now offering color by number sheets to all past clients
- Consider the ways people use your service and ask yourself if it could be catered to different uses at this time
- IE) interior decorator putting together color pallet and decor swatches that people can use in their own home or a massage therapist providing aromatherapy oils and remedies for relaxation.
- If you typically extend your services to a particular audience or demographic, consider how you may shift an element to meet a similar need in another market or demo
- IE) fitness coach now offering senior indoor workout recommendations for those elderly that must stay inside.
- If you have a brick and mortar location that is closed, find a way to bring your service to your customer’s home
- IE) a fitness coach creating an online platform, offer live classes on Instagram or send a class via email to your list as they may be interested in trying a new type of fitness class.
Identify your best resources and make them available to your clients right now for a period of time.
If you are in the knowledge business you have unique gifts to give.
In fact, you may have already created resources that you can now offer to your customers and to your potential customers. The time is now to go above and beyond to help those in need and your customers are no exception.
“If you as an entrepreneur have competence as knowledge, skills, and experience, you can add additional value to your customers’ relationship by helping and teaching them how to do something.”
-Entrepreneurshipinabox.com
If you are in an industry where you must bid out projects or provide a proposal, you may be able to assist before clients even get to this point.
Sometimes if companies are planning on a particular project and they need to approximate a budget, you can help by doing the heavy lifting for them or at least assist with what you can. Get creative with your approach
If you offer a skill-set in the areas of finance you may decide to reach out to your clients to see how they are feeling in this market and give them a bit of knowledge and comfort in what is going on.
Provide them with any resources you have and you may just gain trust with that individual and potentially acquire them as a client in the long run.
For those who have tech services you can use your content creation and distribute for a limited time. You may want to give portions of your course for free if you feel that it provides great value.
Another opportunity is to give limited time access to your membership site. By giving your customer an opportunity to further review your product you are building trust and providing more value.
Collaboration with other businesses, bring them to your audience
If your service offering lends you to be able to speak with multiple individuals or businesses at once you could set up a virtual gathering where people can ask questions and get answers from you as the expert and your other expert friends.
This is an opportunity to explore co-branded offers. Look for companies that complement your brand and provide a holistic experience.
When customers recognize that you are in tune with their preferences, they begin to feel you understand their needs and can provide a greater customer experience (sendpulse.com). Need a little help identifying your target customer? Click here to rock out your ideal customer avatar!
Focus on Response not on Events
You can work to improve your response on what is happening. Shift gears quickly so that you can provide value now and not in 6 months or a year. It’s so important to focus on the right things at the right time and that is how you will be useful and make a greater impact.
Working on this skill will allow you personally and your company to be resilient and more capable in times where you need to be agile.
A great way to do this is to use social media groups to provide your insight and expertise through writing articles, blogs, and invite others to comment and participate (this includes your competitors).
That way you are being a thought leader and building constructive conversation and helpful forums.
“This kind of thought leadership is how you establish more value for your brand, but it’s also how you build a community that wants to be a part of something more dynamic than the typical me too players in your industry.”
Ducktapemarketing
Final Thoughts
By focusing on adding value, each of these business examples will not only be adding value to their customer’s lives, you can definitely say that they are adding value to their own businesses. Want a Free strategic roadmap for your business? Click here!
It is a time to raise up your skill-set and expand your reach. Get creative with your approaches and truly think about what the customer is needing in this moment.
The more you can be in the mind of your customer, the more you can advise and support in a way that is valuable and helpful.
High Vibe Free Brainstorm Call
Sometimes you need a partner for this type of brainstorm. Sometimes it is easier to have someone from the outside leaning in to help you get creative with your approach.
If this is you and you want not only a thought partner, but someone that can help you create a long-term strategy for growth, please reach out and let's chat for 30 minutes.
I am offering my time for free so that not only I can help my fellow entrepreneurs in what I do best, but create partnerships with high vibe, like-minded people that want the best for their communities and their brands.
Click here to get help brainstorming on how you can add more value to your customers in this time of need.
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