The only way to make your customers feel valued

2 minutes read

Recently I have seen an article by Forbes titled “11 simple ways to make customers feel valued.” Some of those 11 ways include the acts such as genuinely thanking your customer, telling the truth, showing that you are acting on their feedback, etc.

Of course, some of the advice in the article might be useful; however, I have a real problem with such themes as they are missing one central point. In real life, you do not make somebody feel valued; you simply value somebody. It is the same for showing your respect.  Respect is not something you show; it is something you integrate and act. You simply respect. That is all.

You go for manipulation when you want to make your customers feel valued and learn some tips and tricks to be successful in that. And no customer wants to be manipulated just because you would like to sell them some product or service.  Even if you achieve, they realize it, and you can be sure that they will remember you as a manipulator.

So, the only way to make your customer feel valued is to stop trying to do so. 

When you value your customers, you start listening to them profoundly without even thinking about what you will tell right after. It means forgetting your sales pitch, competitive advantages, key selling points, etc. When you value your customers, you are not selling, and you are actively learning—learning about their business, challenges, biases, and what they tell and what they do not.  The more you learn, the better you can help them make the right buying decision, even if it is not your product.  The more you want to learn, the more you value your customers because it becomes all about them, not you or your product…not to mention your quotas, targets, etc.

It sounds counter-intuitive; however, there is a straightforward way to implement it in daily life.  Ask yourself one question: how do you want your customer to remember you after the meeting? Friendly, professional, trustworthy, expert… Besides those, my answer is helpful. A salesperson’s objective is to help the customer to make progress and save their time and energy.  Because the customers are not buying the product or service you sell every day, they are not facing those problems every day. By helping them to make progress, you bring value to your customers.  This is how practically you can value your customers.  You virtually become the decision-making coach of your customers.

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