{"id":1312,"date":"2017-01-12T16:18:36","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T16:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/?p=1312"},"modified":"2024-05-20T05:48:28","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T05:48:28","slug":"why-should-your-customers-do-business-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/why-should-your-customers-do-business-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Why should your customers do business with you?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t explain why customers should do business with you, how can you expect THEM to know<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen and look closely at advertisements that promote that they are the BEST \u2013 HIGHEST RANKED \u2013 MOST AWARDED \u2013 at something and it always come with the key qualifier. Best \u201cin class,\u201d and most awarded  \u201cin their segment\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THIS is the very key! Eliminate every opportunity to be measured on a level playing field with everyone else in your markets. Unless, of course, you are already the market leader with a substantial share\u2026but I suspect, to achieve this, the market had to recognize uniqueness and a \u201cbar\u201d was raised with which to measure all others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create and play on a field that you know you dominate <\/strong>and force others to compete with you on your terms. One example from my past. Where IBM, NCR, Dell and HP were the recognized leaders in Point of Sale computers, a relatively unknown brand struggled to even be invited to bid. All of the others have nationwide and worldwide onsite repair capabilities with 8 hour response time offered. Too small to credibly compete, we redesigned a point of sale system that was the first and only blade based self service POS that was \u201cpurpose built\u201d for POS with technical features (liquid cooled; flash boot; single module replacement from front of POS). The new challenge was a discussion around uptime, availability and purpose built design\u2026something the bigger brand names struggled to adequately address for those who valued these aspects most. The company began winning contracts and industry awards and global recognition for innovation. You want to win more? Change the game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t always mean you have to revamp your entire product offer. <\/strong>Much can be accomplished by better targeting your offer to a segment that values most what you have to offer \u2013 where others don\u2019t shine as bright due to their huge size; slow responsiveness; higher costs; or merely they don\u2019t value this segment as highly. Example? EVERYONE wants to biggest utility companies in the Country \u2013 Duke Power and\/or PG&E for example. To compete head to head against the largest industry vendors can be both expensive and time consuming. Select the target who needs most what you readily have and can do better than the bigger competitors \u2013 say CoOp and Municipalities \u2026 and strive to be the BEST\u2026 for this segment\u2026 and you may well enjoy more sales\u2026 shorter sales cycles\u2026 domino referral sales\u2026 greater brand awareness\u2026 more profitable deals\u2026a broader customer base making you less vulnerable to fickle customers who change vendors every contract cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do we know which game to play? <\/strong>Everyone could use some help framing the following. You and your team are closer to your business than almost anyone. Your individual and collective perspective would be collected from all sources. Making an extraordinary effort to have these questions answered by a wide collection of sources is strongly advised. Feedback and input from customers; suppliers; sales partners; industry influencers and \u2013 ever more important \u2013 customers you are losing or have lost. Their perception is their reality <\/strong>\u2013 no matter what you say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What do we do? \u201cOne sentence\u201d  a. \u201cWe make the best value priced metal soft drink can in the Americas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What do we do uniquely or better than anyone else? (\u201cWe are the only one who…\u201d) \u2013 a para max and try not to make it a catch all\u2026like, \u201c we are the easiest to work with, best priced\u2026flexible\u2026custom tailored\u2026 mass production\u2026green (recycled)\u2026 lightest weight\u2026most durable\u2026 stylish\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. What Specific Segments Do We Provide a Specialized Offer? Avoid \u201cevery customer with a pulse\u201d mentality. Consider lifetime profitable customer profile. Rank and prioritize your segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. What is our Value Proposition to 1) Financial Services (specifically subsegment Client Account Records); 2) HealthCare (specifically subsegment EMR); 3) Telecommunications\/Utilities (specifically subsegment Subscriber Records)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Identify, Validate and Document (from the target\u2019s perspective) THEIR Value Metrics (I need to manage costs down and I need an cost effective tool to help me); Buying Criteria ( I don\u2019t want to have to change everything I do to use that vendor\u2019s product \u2013 the product should suit me and not force me to conform to it); Easy to Position the Benefits to my Stakeholders; \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Position the Problem Statement <\/strong>\u2013 then – Position the Value Proposition \u2013<\/strong>\u2013 For example, as a customer, I struggle to integrate and make seamless disparate point products that actually create exposures. Where do other approaches fall short \u2013 what makes us the better way to go\u2026 – one page.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why YOU? 2-4 page <\/strong>\u2013 brief non technical business case positioning paper to highlight the challenges; demonstrate how well you know their pain points and exposures; why the current and\/or typical approach is insufficient; position against the competition (highlight the current and typical shortfalls for example \u2013 classic security rarely precludes the extraction of digital files on a USB or download from a USB); demonstrate how your offer came to be\u2026the considerations\u2026what was rejected\u2026the rationale that drove the development of your offer\u2026in terms that keep the customer pain point front and center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

About the Author: Orlando Joseph<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Technology Executive with strong business and financial acumen. Strong ability to link marketing strategy and results directly to overall business strategy and company financial goals. Keen abilities to develop strategy from in-depth analysis of buyer and\/or customer insights. Documented program development skills, from advertising to digital presence accros all relevant marketing channels. Possesses excellent influencing skills and able to drive consensus. Able to recognize and articulate a future direction; provide strategic direction, and have the ability to direct global and localized products, brand, advertising and related specialties while managing budgets. A strong track record of new product development and demonstrated ability to forge strategic alliances with key partners. Accustomed to driving results and delivering return on Investment. View Orlando’s short bio<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you can\u2019t explain why customers should do business with you, how can you expect THEM to know Listen and look closely at advertisements that promote that they are the BEST \u2013 HIGHEST RANKED \u2013 MOST AWARDED \u2013 at something and it always come with the key qualifier. Best \u201cin class,\u201d and most awarded  \u201cin … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":5257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[21],"tags":[232,127,231,113,107],"ppma_author":[641],"class_list":["post-1312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-development","tag-advertising","tag-business","tag-crm","tag-marketing","tag-sales-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/gfrbmipod_e.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7XjMV-la","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6962,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/how-to-meet-the-challenges-of-growing-a-business\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":0},"title":"How to meet the challenges of growing a business","author":"Colin Thompson - CEO - UK","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Growing a business faces a range of challenges. As a business grows, different issues\/problems and opportunities demand different solutions - what worked a year ago might now be not the best approach. All too often, avoidable mistakes turn what could have been a great business into an also-ran. Recognising and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Business Development"","block_context":{"text":"Business Development","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/business-development\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"growth chart of Growing a Business","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1295953.png?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1295953.png?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1295953.png?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1295953.png?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1295953.png?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5908,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/case-study-development-of-market-expansion\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":1},"title":"Development of Market Expansion","author":"Rakesh Shah","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"The client was an engineering based company, who supplied engineering solutions into B2B industrial sectors. Sales revenue from the international market was declining, and the company had an ambitious growth plan, however no clear vision\/idea as to where this growth was going to be achieved from. Rakesh Shah (RVR Management)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Case Studies","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/case-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CASE STUDY EXAMPLES","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/791197.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/791197.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/791197.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/791197.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/791197.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7449,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/driving-international-growth-and-strategic-evolution-at-dafa\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":2},"title":"Driving International Growth and Strategic Evolution at DAFA","author":"Bo Ankerfelt","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Role:\u00a0 Group CEO\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tenure: 2014 \u2013 2018 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Industry:\u00a0 Foam & Rubber Sealing Solutions \/ Industrial & Construction (Denmark \/ Europe \/ Asia \/ USA)\u00a0 THE MANDATE DAFA, a Danish family-owned company with roots dating back to 1939, was a market leader in foam and rubber sealing solutions and at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Studies"","block_context":{"text":"Case Studies","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/case-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pexels-photo-35602949.jpg?fit=264%2C264&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3083,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/successful-export-going-to-new-markets\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":3},"title":"Successful Export \u2013 Going to New Markets","author":"Freddy Dreher - Business Development Director - Germany","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"The 10 Golden Rules for successful export Preface Over 27 years, I have successfully managed or advised international companies. Most of the companies became market leader within their industry and market. Several subsidiaries were successfully established under my leadership. I bought companies and integrated them into the root business. Furthermore,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Export Business"","block_context":{"text":"Export Business","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/business-development\/export-business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/export-rules.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/export-rules.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/export-rules.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/export-rules.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/export-rules.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2376,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/sos-companies-in-jeopardy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":4},"title":"SOS \u2013 Companies in Jeopardy!","author":"Erik Van Rompay - CEO - France","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Companies cannot afford to waste time to achieve its strategic goals, such as correcting an existing problem, proceeding with a M&A or a project that impacts the whole company. When they delay their decision to hire a competent manager, many companies get into trouble, loose their competitive advantage or fall\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interim Manager"","block_context":{"text":"Interim Manager","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/executive-search\/interim-manager\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/MC900449045.jpg?fit=900%2C546&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/MC900449045.jpg?fit=900%2C546&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/MC900449045.jpg?fit=900%2C546&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/MC900449045.jpg?fit=900%2C546&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":89,"url":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/manage-growth-in-china\/","url_meta":{"origin":1312,"position":5},"title":"Success Story: Manage Growth in China","author":"Terry Lee","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"How can a MNC manage to sustain growth in China? When I entered my current company, I faced two major problems when I took up the China business. Firstly, at that time we did not have our own facility in China and our business was mainly relied on two major\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Business Development"","block_context":{"text":"Business Development","link":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/category\/business-development\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"How can a MNC manage to sustain growth in China?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ck-szcqvoyy.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ck-szcqvoyy.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ck-szcqvoyy.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ck-szcqvoyy.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ck-szcqvoyy.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":641,"user_id":16,"is_guest":0,"slug":"joseph-orlando","display_name":"Joseph Orlando","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2673964fd8b2442d5375f2302d56f8e534d52749f7ecb183e0e59e2a5ddd8c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Orlando","first_name":"Joseph","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5259,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions\/5259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1312"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ceo-worldwide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}