What will definitely work for your business offering
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 5:32 am
Is there a trick to understanding the value of the overseas data commercial offer that you make in BtoB? Having our approaches and proposals validated by customers, carried out with the aim of always better meeting their expectations and needs, is a good and ultimately usual approach. Why not reverse the subject and start by asking the customer what they really expect? This is another way to correspond more fairly to their needs, and which can (should?) become just as usual.
Concepts like "getting out of your office to see your customers" or "talking to your customers" are not really new, even if today, the modes of interface with customers are notably enriched by the digitalization of customer relations and inbound marketing. Many authors have advocated the countless proven virtues of customer interaction. Many managers have used market and customer studies as a key vector for growing their business. However, is it through these market studies that you will be able to bring the most substantial value to your customers?
When most of us take on a market study or a customer study, what do we do first? We gather our team, we brainstorm and establish a list of questions or propositions for which we will seek validation. But are you sure that you are starting from reliable elements? That you have avoided the pitfalls of cognitive bias? What if your customer has a radically different view of your products and services? Then you may never be able to understand the true value of your offer. Because it will not meet your customer's expectations and your commercial offer will be obsolete.
Of course this seems obvious, but it is necessary to first question your customer so that he tells you what he expects. In addition, ask him questions in order to detect what he actually expects and that he does not want or cannot express. Try to discern through the nature of your questions how your products and services bring him added value. Note and keep these points to then build your customer argument questionnaire that he can then more easily validate or amend. If you favor direct information to establish the questions and value propositions, then these will resonate more with them.
Concepts like "getting out of your office to see your customers" or "talking to your customers" are not really new, even if today, the modes of interface with customers are notably enriched by the digitalization of customer relations and inbound marketing. Many authors have advocated the countless proven virtues of customer interaction. Many managers have used market and customer studies as a key vector for growing their business. However, is it through these market studies that you will be able to bring the most substantial value to your customers?
When most of us take on a market study or a customer study, what do we do first? We gather our team, we brainstorm and establish a list of questions or propositions for which we will seek validation. But are you sure that you are starting from reliable elements? That you have avoided the pitfalls of cognitive bias? What if your customer has a radically different view of your products and services? Then you may never be able to understand the true value of your offer. Because it will not meet your customer's expectations and your commercial offer will be obsolete.
Of course this seems obvious, but it is necessary to first question your customer so that he tells you what he expects. In addition, ask him questions in order to detect what he actually expects and that he does not want or cannot express. Try to discern through the nature of your questions how your products and services bring him added value. Note and keep these points to then build your customer argument questionnaire that he can then more easily validate or amend. If you favor direct information to establish the questions and value propositions, then these will resonate more with them.