In Bob Burg and John David Mann’s latest book “Go-Givers Sell More,” there is an interesting twist on the job description for someone in sales.
“Your job is not to make a sale (importantly noted earlier – impossible to do) but to create something else: value. In fact, as a salesperson you can define your job description in three words: I create value.”
I have to admit, the first time I read this, I altered it in my mind to read, “I present value” meaning, my job is to show the value others will receive by hiring our company. However, that is NOT the case – my job, your job…everyone’s job, whether in sales or not, is “To Create Value.” This is one of those processes versus product concepts. Too often, we focus on the value that a client experiences as a result of the product they are purchasing, instead of the value we create through servicing them. Let me illustrate for you.
Recently, I stayed in two different hotels on the same business trip. They were each quality hotels, a Marriott property and a Crowne Plaza. I paid almost the exact same price for the rooms, but had very different experiences. At the first property, I arrived around 1:00 pm to find that they had no rooms clean for me. Adding to the struggle, I had accidentally booked at a location that was out of the way from my very tight travel schedule, so I had little room for inconvenience. At the next location, I arrived, was checked in to my room, no hassles, no struggles, great location…etc. However, which location provided the best value to me – not what you might think, it was the first property. You see, it wasn’t the difficulty that defined my stay, it was the service.
Shortly after the front desk worker had told me it might be an hour, he set a bell on the counter and disappeared (to which I mistakenly thought, “great, now he’s going to lunch”). He returned 10 minutes later to check me in. I had indicated how tight my schedule was and my mistake in selection of hotel. He had gone to assist the cleaning staff to get a room ready for me!!! Are you kidding me, that was a first. Then, he asked where I was traveling, and after sharing where I was headed, he realized that there was much road construction and that the normal google map route would most likely take me through it and make me late. He didn’t tell me this, because he understood I needed to get into the room, shave, shower, iron, etc. Not five minutes after I left him at the desk, the employee slid a piece of paper under the door – you guessed it, an alternate route for me, and a hand written note indicating that I could take the bottles of water with me at no charge, so I wouldn’t have to stop to get anything along the way (it was in Arizona and the temperature was 110). I stay in hotels often, but this was the first time that an employee had ever gone through this kind of effort to serve me, and I quickly went from thinking “what a stupid mistake I had made selecting this hotel” to saying “anytime I am in the Phoenix area, I’m staying here!”
This employee “created value.” He didn’t rely on the nice new pillows or cushy king size bed to make me feel better, he made sure I would. That is what we are to do, create value! As the title of this blog indicates, if you focus on “winning for them” that will be a natural occurring result. Remember, value starts with hello!
