One of the most important shifts going on in business lately is the change of focus from transactions to solutions.
If you think your business is just about what you sell – think again!
Your business is about the value or results – the solutions you provide your customers.
And companies are catching on.
I remember a TV commercial for Sleep Number beds from a few years ago. They nailed it.
Sleep Number beds have adjustable firmness. They have stores around the country and the commercial was promoting visiting their stores for a free sleep posture analysis.
In the commercial, people were lying on the beds with computer monitors which displayed a colourful diagram showing where the pressure points and weight were distributed for each person.
As a result of the analysis the correct “sleep number” was selected, and the prospective customer expressed an impressive “Ah!”
I didn’t need a new bed, but the impact of the commercial made me want to have my sleep posture analyzed and see what my “sleep number” felt like!
They didn’t talk about what they were selling (beds or mattresses). Instead, they focused on the sleep posture analysis and the “Ah” – great sleep, feeling good.
Who wouldn’t want that!
Hats off to Sleep Number.
Apply this to your business. Identify what benefits your customers receive from working with you.
Why are they buying what you sell?
According to Sleep Number, buying their bed is a way to get better sleep and feel good.
Another example could be a carpet cleaning company – having the carpets cleaned may be a way of maintaining a healthy home, minimizing allergies, or having a home look good when company comes over.
For a commercial carpet cleaning company working with businesses, keeping the carpets clean may actually be part of their business image and brand to attract and retain their own customers.
Look for opportunities to help your customers by providing a tool or resource that will either enable them make a buying decision, or educate them on what they need to know to make it.
The Sleep Number beds have never appealed to me, but I liked the idea of having a sleep posture analysis done.
Offering the analysis was enough to have me go to one of their stores. Who knew, when I laid down on the Sleep Number bed I could have ended up thinking it was the best invention since sliced bread!
Or maybe not – but either way they got a customer into their store which gave them the opportunity to sell or add the customer to their database.
Would you like some feedback on how to apply this to your business?
Post below what you think is the main benefit your company provides, and some ideas on what to offer prospective customers to capture their interest in your services.