Your Value is Like a Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie

By Kendra Lee, President, KLA Group Selling is a lot like baking. I love to bake. Every Sunday I make 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies for my family of three growing boys. Friends who stop by know the cookie jar will be full and ask to dip in. No kid or adult is immune and they can never stop at just one. Yum! These are good. Do you use real butter? What kind of chocolate chips do you use? How do you get them so soft? I shouldn't have another, but may I? Can I please have another? Even though my homemade chocolate chip cookies are definitely not low fat, people eat two, three and four at a time - more than they ever intended, but what the heck? Their senses take over as the cookie melts away in their mouth. And their hesitation goes out the door. Your clients are the same way. If they love, love, love your consultative recommendations, advice, and observations they'll buy more and more. Make their job easier. Check in on them even if you aren't working a current opportunity. Bring them new ideas and make recommendations you believe will best fit their businesses. Always be willing to listen and brainstorm. Help them financially justify their investment while only selling solutions that will benefit their businesses. Sell your value. Show your clients the value of working with you. No doubt you hear these phrases every day. But when clients are pressuring you for a price break, it isn't always as easy as it sounds. Will clients really pay more to buy your stuff? Yes! They buy Starbucks and Krispy Kreme donuts instead of generic because they value the taste. They'll buy your value, too, if you appeal to their senses. While your clients' budgets may say they should shop around, or they shouldn't buy that extra service level, they will buy - and buy from you. They'll do it because they feel confident in decisions you help them make. They can taste the success you're helping them achieve melting in their mouth. The memory of that success lingers, just like the memory of a homemade chocolate chip cookie. In my opinion, if you're going to take the time to make homemade cookies, you shouldn't skimp on the ingredients to save calories or money. If you skimp, they're no better than the packages or tubes you can buy at the store - and definitely not worth the effort to make or eat. Adults don't see any reason to eat them. Kids will pass them by; and they certainly aren't going to recommend them to their friends. The fact that I perfected my recipe over years, and don't skimp on the ingredients or the time to make them, has my family not just satisfied but bragging. Friends are coming back for more. New friends are coming out of the woodwork. Your value will linger, too. Your client will not only pay for your value, but tell everyone they know about how pleased they are! Before you know it, you'll have a great testimonial for proposals, an eager reference, and referrals flowing your way. I was speaking with a client this week who actually apologized for spreading our name "all over the place!" He said he probably should have told me so I could prepare our team, but he'd been so busy he hadn't had a moment. He'd sent some referrals to look at our website and listen in on some audio conferences we were running. He hoped that was okay with me. Okay? That's value as good as a homemade chocolate chip cookie! Kendra Lee is author of "Selling Against the Goal" and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products in the Small & Medium Business (SMB) segment. Ms. Lee is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and association events. For more information, contact the company at +1 303.741.6636 or info@klagroup.com or visit www.klagroup.com. KLA publishes an industry-leading online newsletter. To subscribe and get a free Quota Gap Calculator ($18.95 value) visit www.klagroup.com. For information on sales training, call 303-741-6636.