When an asset such as stock, property or personal property increases in value without any improvements or modification being made to it, it’s called appreciation.
Certain things have the potential to appreciate, and it all depends on a number of issues, including uniqueness or increased demand.
If a business can have assets that appreciate for them, there’s a fine chance that they will value these assets highest within the business.
Imagine if you owned something that was appreciating in value all the time. How would you view it?
You would take care of it, see it as precious and use it with care.
Imagine if you proved yourself an appreciating asset to your customer. How would they view you? Exactly the same!
As we said, an appreciating asset increases in value as time goes by. For you to become valuable to your client, this will require you to show how you can add value to them and their business as the relationship builds.
Ways you can do this include:
- Showing how other successful companies have positively used your products and services to achieve the same and better results as you’re suggesting this client could achieve
- Identifying how a consultative approach to your client’s business could improve how they approach their own business strategies
- Becoming a strategic influence with the decision-maker
- Identifying how the users of your products and services could improve their working lives by increased efficiencies
- Sharing LinkedIn stories or articles that are of interest to your client and their business
- Offering trips to your production facilities
- Holding buyer forums and discussion sessions to talk about improvements of usage of your products
- Being the ‘go-to’ person whenever challenges with your products occur
- Using your business Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep up-to-date with how your clients’ business are going and how they can improve
- Describing how new improvements to your products could affect and improve the way their company works and the results they achieve
- Acting as a business consultant to assist in their strategic decisions
- Being part of their decision-making team when the time comes to improve selection
- Helping them with competitive offers by offering advice and suggestions to consider, especially if competitive pricing is causing them to ask questions
- Showing your availability when they need help and assistance
- Generating recommending improvements to how their business can be run, not necessarily by using your products
If you are able to help your client’s business grow, expand and improve, they are likely to see you as having the ability to be a real asset to their company, in the long-term.
They would then take care of you, see you as precious and use you with care. And what an asset you would prove to be then!
Happy Selling!
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training | Sales Blog | Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
