Creating Value for Customers

CSMs, your job is not to talk your customers into buying renewals, expansions, and upsells. It's to deliver so much value that growing demand is the logical consequence. New customers buy based on the expected value and existing ones based on the value they have already received. Want to grow the value of your customer portfolio intentionally? Build a repeatable process from discovering to monetizing customer value. Here’s the one I’m using: 1. Customer Discovery ✅ Identify customer goals and how they are measured ✅ Understand what keeps your customers from accomplishing their goals ✅ Qualify their skills and knowledge to determine their education and training needs 2. Success Planning ✅ Build a dedicated roadmap that outlines the steps customers need to take ✅ Break it down to the inputs you need to provide to your customers ✅ Segment customers by the successful journey they have ahead 3. Customer Enablement ✅ Give customers quick wins at the onboarding to get their buy-in ✅ Build an outcome-focused education and training program ✅ Measure its effectiveness by the rate of successful implementations 4. Measuring Customer Value ✅ Track progress with the metrics your customers care about ✅ Follow up frequently to prevent customers from getting stuck ✅ Start countermeasures immediately if required 5. Demonstrating Customer Value ✅ Benchmark actual vs projected results ✅ Highlight how your customers’ business changed in the process ✅ Outline the personal outcomes stakeholders have accomplished 6. Monetizing Customer Value ✅ Identify customer growth opportunities ✅ Create business cases outlining their potential gains ✅ Connect them with resources, features, or products This is Customer Value-Led Growth. PS: Join 8.3k+ CS professionals and sign up for my newsletter if you like this post --> https://lnkd.in/dtC7MEjP

As founders, we're bombarded with advice: "Know your customer!" "Listen to your audience!" But amidst the buzzwords, a crucial question lingers: how do we truly understand what matters to our customers, beyond the surface-level preferences and fleeting opinions? My journey as a founder has been a constant dance between chasing "customer feedback" and uncovering the deeper desires fueling that feedback. I've learned that listening isn't enough; we need to actively decode and prioritize what truly resonates with our users. Enter the Customer Value Compass: Step 1: Chart the Terrain: 1. Gather diverse data: Collect feedback through surveys, interviews, user observations, social media sentiment analysis, and support tickets. 2. Identify recurring themes: Analyze the data for common threads, challenges, and desires expressed by your customers. Don't get bogged down in individual details; look for patterns. 3. Categorize by impact: Segment your identified themes into two categories: "surface-level preferences" and "core value drivers." Surface-level preferences: These are fleeting opinions, often influenced by trends or personal experiences. They can provide valuable insights for specific features or campaigns, but shouldn't define your core offering. Core value drivers: These are deeply held needs, desires, and motivations that underpin customer behavior. These are the true north stars you need to align with. Step 2: Calibrate the Compass: 1. Dig deeper into core value drivers: Conduct in-depth interviews, focus groups, or user testing to truly understand the "why" behind these themes. 2. Prioritize based on impact: Not all core value drivers hold equal weight. Assess their prevalence, intensity, and alignment with your business goals to determine which ones deserve the most attention. 3. Validate with data: Look for quantitative evidence to support your qualitative findings. Analyze usage data, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction metrics to ensure your understanding aligns with actual behavior. Step 3: Navigate with Confidence: 1. Align your product and strategy: Use your Customer Value Compass to inform product development, marketing messages, and customer support initiatives. 2. Communicate with clarity: When making changes or introducing new features, explain how they address the core value drivers you've identified. 3. Continuously iterate: The Customer Value Compass is a living document. Gather new data, conduct regular reviews, and be prepared to adjust your understanding as your customer base and market evolve. Remember, the Customer Value Compass is not a destination, but a journey. By prioritizing what truly matters to your users, you build a foundation for sustainable growth, loyalty, and success. So, silence the buzzwords, listen deeply, and let your customers guide your voyage. #FoundersJourney #CustomerInsights #DecodingValue #ValueCompass #CustomerCentricity #BuildingForUsers

Welcome to the final installment of our series on the US industrial and manufacturing landscape. Throughout this journey, we've explored the dynamic changes reshaping the sector and discussed strategies for excellence. 1. Understand the New Customer Landscape: The industrial and manufacturing sector's customers are evolving. Today's buyers seek not just products, but solutions that align with their specific challenges. Dive deep into your customers' pain points, aspirations, and buying behavior to tailor your offerings. 2. Co-Creation for Value: Involve customers in the innovation process. Co-create solutions that directly address their needs. By including them in the ideation and development phases, you ensure the final product resonates. 3. Seamless User Experience: Design an experience that delights. Whether it's your product's user interface or the ease of doing business with your company, a seamless experience builds loyalty and encourages repeat business. 4. Data-Driven Personalization: Leverage data to personalize interactions. Tailor your offerings and communication based on customer preferences and behaviors. This level of personalization fosters stronger connections. 5. Proactive Problem Solving: Anticipate customer needs and provide solutions before they ask. Be proactive in addressing potential challenges, showcasing your commitment to their success. 6. Value-Driven Communication: Shift from product-centric communication to value-driven conversations. Showcase how your offerings solve problems and contribute to your customers' growth. 7. Collaborative Partnerships: Forge partnerships that extend beyond transactions. Position yourself as a collaborator invested in your customers' long-term success. Jointly tackle challenges and celebrate victories. 8. Feedback as Fuel: Customer feedback is a goldmine of insights. Actively seek feedback and apply it to refine your offerings. Customers appreciate being heard and seeing their input incorporated. 9. Agility in Adapting: Be agile in responding to customer feedback and market shifts. Flexibility in adapting your offerings demonstrates your commitment to meeting evolving needs. 10. Long-Term Relationship Building: Prioritize long-term relationships over short-term gains. By consistently delivering value and demonstrating your dedication, you establish trust that leads to lasting partnerships. In conclusion, the path to growth in the industrial and manufacturing landscape is paved with customer-centric strategies. As you navigate these transformative times, remember that understanding your customers deeply, co-creating value, offering seamless experiences, and embracing data-driven personalization can set you apart in a competitive market. Thank you for joining me on this journey of exploration and insight.

Growing a business requires a significant amount of strategic focus on acquiring new customers. Rolling out new products, expanding our target audience, and partnering with category-adjacent businesses are all critical strategies for scaling. However, an over emphasis on acquisition can often lead to losing sight of nurturing the people who've already chosen us. What's been on my mind lately is the real cost of falling into the "good enough" trap. While you're busy chasing new customers, another organization is working just as hard to win over yours. When complacency sets in, they're prepared to parachute in, make your customers feel like a priority, and communicate exactly what they can deliver to make them consider switching. Especially when consumers are increasingly price-conscious, scaling and growing your business isn't just an acquisition game. It's fundamentally about continually creating new ways to deliver value to your current customers. Here are some of my go-to approaches to deepen that connection and value with your existing audience: Predict and Reward: You have incredible data on what your customers do and want. Use it to stay one step ahead and deliver something that genuinely surprises them in the best way. Think proactive delight, not just reactive service. Build a Real Community: People crave belonging. They love being part of a group where they feel seen, heard, and valued. Whether it’s online spaces or in-person meetups, create a place where your customers can truly connect, share, and feel like they belong. That builds incredible stickiness. Go Above and Beyond: I had a shipping issue with a company recently, and they didn’t just fix it, they kept me updated every step of the way, apologized sincerely, and even provided extra products. It turned a momentary problem into a powerful moment of real trust and appreciation. We need to look at current customers differently. Instead of just viewing them as consistent buyers, we should see them as amplifiers, invaluable feedback providers, and crucial testers. They are often your strongest allies in scaling and growing your business because, when nurtured, they will grow with you.

Too often, companies think that adding more agents or reducing call times makes their call centers effective. But the reality is different. A recent Gartner study found that 58% of customers will stop doing business with a company after a poor service experience, even if the issue itself gets resolved. Meanwhile, Forrester notes that businesses focusing on value-driven customer service see up to 60% higher customer lifetime value. It’s a reminder that call centers built for volume are no longer enough. Today, they must be built for value. That means shifting from measuring “how many calls” to measuring “how much impact.” So, how can organizations transform their call centers into value centers? 1. Redefine success metrics. Move beyond average handle time and number of calls answered. Instead, measure customer outcomes, satisfaction, and retention. 2. Empower agents with more intelligent systems. Real-time insights, AI-driven routing, and contextual data allow agents to focus on solving problems, not just closing tickets. 3. Personalize every interaction. Customers expect to be remembered. Integrating CRM and conversation history ensures no one feels like they’re starting over. 4. Be proactive, not reactive. Predictive analytics and automation help prevent issues before they escalate, turning service into a driver of loyalty. Many organizations get stuck because they chase efficiency metrics while overlooking the bigger picture. The question we as businesses or governments should be asking is, 'Is every interaction moving the business forward?' #CX #CustomerExperience #DigitalTransformation #KSA

A customer bought roughly 1,000 enterprise seats from us. We had never spoken to them. No discovery call. No demo. No negotiation. No traditional close. That may sound like luck. It wasn’t. We had been setting the table all year. At the beginning of the year, I developed a program with our specialist colleagues called: Plays That Get You Paid. The premise was deliberately simple. Every seller and specialist has priorities on their scorecard. Those priorities translate into the solutions they need to help customers understand, evaluate and adopt. So we asked: What customer conversations would create genuine value—and also help our sellers win? Then we built a system around earning those conversations. Not one campaign. Not one email. Not one webinar. A system. For every priority play, we mapped: • The customer problem that mattered • The leaders most likely to care • The right audience—not merely the largest one • The message that translated technology into business value • The proof that would make the conversation credible • The easiest, lowest-risk next step • The partner or specialist equipped to help • The follow-up path after someone engaged Then we looked for every responsible way to put that conversation into the market. Short emails that clearly stated the value and asked for a no-risk meeting. Webinars where customers could learn from experts and peers. Newsletters that kept relevant ideas in front of the market. Executive interviews. Customer stories. Social content. Partner workshops. Briefings. Events. Follow-up sequences. One play. Many ways to encounter it. Because before you can feast, you have to set the table. You need the right people at the table. You need to serve something they actually want. That is what happened with this customer. When we reviewed their history, we discovered they had attended every webinar we ran that year. They had heard the stories. They had studied the use cases. They had watched organizations like theirs discuss the opportunity. They had consumed the education quietly. By the time they purchased roughly 1,000 seats, the selling had already happened. It simply had not happened during a conventional sales call. We had built a community around a conversation that mattered to the customer—and translated to the scorecards and paychecks of the sellers supporting it. That is the part I find incredible. The customer received useful education without pressure. A sale can happen without a sales call. But it rarely happens without a system. Before you ask why the market isn’t responding, ask yourself: Have we truly set the table? For my entire playbook, check out *Moneyball Sales*: 🎧 Audible: https://lnkd.in/gXBtWR_8 📕 Paperback: https://lnkd.in/gt4QGDAJ 📱 Kindle: https://lnkd.in/gD-hsDpk All proceeds go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Consumer value isn’t just what you offer - it’s how you connect, how useful you are, and how well you mitigate risks. Here’s a framework 👇👇👇 Consumer Value = (Perceived Benefits + Emotional Connection + Utility + Brand Relationship) - (Perceived Costs + Risks) PERCEIVED BENEFITS → Advantages consumers expect, like quality, convenience and positive outcomes that consumers believe they will gain from a product or service → This includes functional benefits (e.g., quality, convenience) and emotional benefits (e.g., status, pleasure) → Consumers assess whether the benefits outweigh the costs they incur EMOTIONAL CONNECTION → The feelings and associations a consumer has with a brand or product → Brands that create strong emotional connections can enhance perceived value → This can be achieved through storytelling, brand values, and community engagement, leading to loyalty and advocacy UTILITY → The practical usefulness of a product or service in fulfilling a consumer's needs → Utility encompasses both utilitarian value (solving problems or accomplishing tasks) and hedonic value (providing pleasure or enjoyment) → Consumers evaluate how well a product meets their functional and emotional needs BRAND RELATIONSHIP → The quality of the relationship between the consumer and the brand, influenced by past experiences and interactions → A strong brand relationship can enhance consumer trust and loyalty → Positive interactions lead to higher perceived value, while negative experiences can diminish it PERCEIVED COSTS → The sacrifices consumers must make to obtain a product or service, including monetary costs, time, and effort → Consumers weigh the perceived costs against the benefits → High costs can deter purchases, especially if the perceived benefits do not justify them RISKS → The uncertainties or potential negative outcomes associated with a purchase decision → Consumers may perceive risks related to product quality, brand reputation, or financial loss → Addressing these risks through guarantees, warranties, and transparent communication can enhance perceived value APPLICATION OF THE FRAMEWORK IN BUSINESS Marketing strategies → Highlight benefits and emotional connections in campaigns → Use storytelling to resonate with consumers Product development → Deliver on both utility and emotional satisfaction → Involve consumers in product creation Customer relationship management → Strengthen relationships through great service and personalization Risk mitigation → Offer trial periods, guarantees, and testimonials to ease concerns How are you creating customer value at your place? ------------------------------------------ 💬 Let me know what you think 🔗 Share if helpful! ------------------------------------------ #brand #strategy #customer #value #framework

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? It’s probably one of the most overlooked concepts in business, yet it holds the power to transform your client relationships and boost your revenue. So, what is the value equation, and why does it matter? In simple terms, it’s the formula that balances what your clients get versus what they give. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗮𝘄; 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀. But how do you achieve that? Here's a 4step guide to enhance your value equation, making your business irresistible to clients. 𝟭) 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Your clients have aspirations, goals, and dreams. It’s your job to not just meet them but exceed them. For example, if you’re a coach, don’t just promise skill improvement. Paint a vivid picture of a future where your client is leading industry seminars, authoring bestselling books, or even transforming their own clients’ lives. Make their dreams bigger and bolder. 𝟮) 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Belief is everything. Your clients need to trust that their investment with you is a step towards success. Showcase testimonials, past results, and case studies. For instance, as a dentist, if you’re offering cosmetic procedures, highlight real client stories and before and after photos that demonstrate their transformations. This boosts confidence and solidifies trust. 𝟯) 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆. In today’s fast-paced world, everyone wants results yesterday. Speed is key. If you’re a consultant, instead of a lengthy three month program, offer a condensed version with intensive sessions. Or, if you’re managing social media, use tools and strategies that generate results quickly, like trending content or strategic collaborations or paid ads. The faster the results, the happier the client. 𝟰) 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Clients want a smooth journey. If they perceive too much hassle, they’ll hesitate. For example, if you’re a psychologist, offer flexible online sessions instead of requiring in-person visits. Or, for a small business owner, automate processes like billing or scheduling to reduce manual effort. Make their experience as seamless as possible. 𝗕𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀, you don’t just increase the value you provide; you make your clients eager to work with you and willing to pay a premium. The better the value equation, the stronger your client relationships. So, how are you applying the value equation in your business? What changes have you made to tip the scales in favour of your clients? Let’s discuss.👇 #ValueEquation #ClientSuccess #BusinessGrowth #CustomerExperience #ValueCreation

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 📊 Tired of your offers getting lost in the noise? It’s a common challenge: many entrepreneurs rush to pump out products just to keep pace with trends, only to end up with offerings that don’t really resonate with anyone. This scattergun approach can lead to serious customer frustration and devalue your brand. If you keep heading in this direction, you risk not just losing relevance but actually pushing your customers toward competitors who deliver what they truly need. Here's a better game plan: 🔎 Identify Real Needs: Dive deep into understanding the specific challenges your customers face. What keeps them up at night? How can your product provide a solution? 🔎 Create Meaningful Offers: Develop products that offer clear, tangible benefits. Make sure each new offer is a response to real demand, not just another item on the shelf. 🔎 Educate Your Audience: Develop content that not only promotes your product but also educates your audience on its benefits and usage. Blogs, videos, webinars, and user guides are great ways to do this. This shift from filling trends to solving problems can transform how customers view your brand, making you a go-to resource rather than just another option. How have you tackled the trend trap in your business? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #entrepreneurship #innovation #customerrelations #strategy #business #value