Tweet

What Difference Do You Make?

Guest post by: Kevin Kragenbrink

Article Overview: People have choices. Especially during times of economic stress like we face today, people are careful to look for the greatest value. Often business owners default to the idea that greatest value is defined by lowest price. In some cases this is true, but even that default value has hidden within it this truth - the real question is what difference does it make. Your task, as the seller, is to know what difference you can make for the buyer and then make sure that you communicate that difference well.

What Difference Do You Make?

So What? That is the question I have been asking my clients and my students for the past 15 years. So what? So you make a very cool widget? So what? How does that widget make a difference in the life of the person who buys it? So you offer the most amazing service? So what? What difference do you make for the businesses you serve? I want to know, how does what you do or what you sell make a difference for the people or the business who buy from you?

I started asking this question when I was teaching as a university professor. Many of my students were planning to go on to be teachers themselves, and I wanted to challenge them to think beyond the curriculum. I wanted to help them figure out how to make the classroom relevant and important to their students. You might be surprised at how many of them had never even considered the question.

Along the way, I discovered that this same question was critically important for business owners. With very few exceptions, buyers have choices. They can choose to buy from you, or from somebody else. Their buying decision is made up of all sorts of considerations, but underneath all of the product or service evaluations, underneath the questions about quality, price, durability, and availability is this core value. What difference will it make if I buy it, and what difference will it make if I buy it from you?

During the past year I have had several opportunities ponder this issue but it has really come home to me in the past two months. I thought I had answered this question in my own business years ago. In discussions with several clients and with prospects I am reminded that answering it once does not answer it forever. The difference you make must be restated as the conditions around you change. In other words, So what has to be answered in terms of today and tomorrow, not yesterday.

I got my aha on this when several people recently decided not to join our CEO Club because of the cost. Let's face it, business coaching is expensive. But I know the actual cost is not really the issue here. In every case the business owners who decided not to buy or continue in the program had enough money. It was not the money itself, it was their understanding of the difference it makes.

Here's the reality, no matter what you spend on a business coach, it is money that you don't have available to spend on other things or to put into your own pocket. As a business owner, that makes coaching expensive. So then why do it? Why pay a coach for his or her services? The only reason to spend the money is because you understand that hiring the business coach will make a difference for you that is worth the cost.

Now, back to your business. What is true for my business is true for yours. People have choices. Especially during times of economic stress like we face today, people are careful to look for the greatest value. Often business owners default to the idea that greatest value is defined by lowest price. In some cases this is true, but even that default value has hidden within it this truth - the real question is what difference does it make. Your task, as the seller, is to know what difference you can make for the buyer and then make sure that you communicate that difference well.

I heard a great commercial just the other day that brings this home. The ad was for Mercedes-Benz. At the center of the ad was this idea, "we sell quality cars, but not the only quality cars." To convince people looking for that quality that they should consider a Mercedes, the ad emphasizes the difference they will make through relationship, service and quality. In the end, those things will matter more than the price to their buyers.

So, what difference to you make? Ask that question of yourself and then ask it of four people you trust to be brutally honest with you. The value of your business is in the difference you make for customers. Learn to communicate that and your business will grow. It is just that simple.

Related Articles
  The Difference Between Winning the Deal & Losing the Deal
  The Rise and Rise of Difference Makers
  Clarity is the New Creativity.
  The Four Components To a Successful Business
  Get To Or Got To?
  Planning Vs Worrying
  Denial Is More Than Just A River In Egypt
  PHILANTHROPY
  Change Ready Companies Experience Faster Success in Sales Development
  Salespeople and Their Fantasies
  Making A Difference - The Star Thrower Story
  FYI...
  Earning Online and Building Our Futures Together!
  Be the Red Leaf
  The Ginormous Power Of One
  Leadership Starts With Giving: Three Secrets to Attracting More Success in Your Life by Making a Difference
  Silly Humans Can't Count: The 29% Effect
  Showing Appreciation - Learning From Watching Your Team
  Most successful people set goals. How about you?
  Legacy and Immortality

Article Tags: Business Coachingbusiness owners, choices, Marketing, Sales, Small Business Success



Related Forum Posts
Re: Quote of the Day - "The only people witho - Thanks for sharing this Evan, there are some very powerful quotes in there, I particularly like this one:- You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully. regards, Mal.
List of a few legitimate online business - Well My main methods to make money so far are adsense,affiliate marketing and freelancing and I think these are some more sites that can help me to make some more money.Your reviews are welcome: ::linkworth dot com>This site is awesome and offer lots of ways to make money. ::mturk dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::microworkers dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::shorttask dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::istockphoto dot com>sell stock photos ::eHow dot com>Make money writing ::Bukisa>Make money writing ::Associate Content>Make money writing ::Triond>Make money writing ::fiverr dot com>$5 freelancing job ::cpalead dot com>make money by completing offer ::peerfly>make money by completing offer
Re: 10 Tips to Start an Online Business - [quote="Anya101":1y6il6zm] 5. Make it very easy for people to order your products. The easier the order process, the more orders you will get. Make sure your payment pages are secured. If you accept payment online, it is [/quote:1y6il6zm] *This* is very good advice. I went to a site a couple of weeks ago to order a DVD, an independent movie, and instead of having Paypal, I had to jump through hoops to sign up for their payment system. It would have taken me more minutes than I cared to spend, so I just didn't bother!
Re: May Traffic Drop Off from Google's Update - I feel that the best way to make your website click is to target both SEO and other marketing channels. In case it is not possible for website owners or webmasters to invest into other marketing channels, then they must make sure that they are following guidelines laid down by search engines. Whenever there is an update in algorithm, it is only done to filter out artificial websites from the search results. However , it is observed that on several occasions innocent people fall victim to the update in algorithm. If you have an article website and your member copy pasted article from some other website, there is very little you can do to avoid duplicate penalty. The latest tips to avoid your rankings going into roller coaster ride is to make sure :- a) That your website is having genuine and unique content b) Make sure you do not use any automated SEO tools. c) Make sure that your back linking pattern is not a pre-defined targeting same set of keywords again and again. d) Add useful content to your website every single week or fortnight ( if possible) e) Abstain from artificial keyword density f) Abstain from empty pages on your website or doorway pages with empty or duplicate content. g) Make sure you to not have HTML errors in your coding ( If your H1 tag is left open, then it can trigger SPAM ALERT on Google.)
Re: How do I upload my picture? - Make sure your picture is 3-5 year old because that's what everyone does in forums.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What is an Adaptive Organization

What is Discretionary Cash Flow

Selling What Sizzles vs. Delivering Real Value

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.