What Value Really Means To Your Prospects and Customers
Your customer is looking to increase THEIR sales, THEIR customer loyalty, THEIR employee loyalty, THEIR productivity, THEIR morale, THEIR profit, and to have no problems. Are those the values you bring to the table?
The Problem With “Added Value”
Value is perhaps the most illusive word in sales.
Everyone will tell you how important it is, very few can tell you what it is.
I recommend you leave “added value” out of your sales lexicon forever. It also has an evil twin: “value add.” Neither of which can be defined in terms of what the customer actually benefits or profits from.
Expectation Vs. Incentive To Buy
Added value is usually some minor service or hard-to-define extra that the customer already expects, or takes for granted anyway. Things like:
- Same-day shipping
- Online ordering
- Parts in stock
- 24-hour service
Those elements are expected. They are NOT incentive to buy— rather they’re just part of your business offering.
What Does Your Customer Value?
In order for you to understand the word “value” as it relates to your ability to make a sale, put the word “perceived” in front of it. If you think it’s valuable, and your customer doesn’t perceive it to be valuable, it isn’t value.
Your customer is looking to increase THEIR sales, THEIR customer loyalty, THEIR employee loyalty, THEIR productivity, THEIR morale, THEIR profit, and to have no problems.
Are those the values you bring to the table? No? Why not? Those are the value elements that any customer would consider worthy of the word. Your little add-on services are more of a bonus or extra.
What’s Your Real Mission?
The value is missing from the MISSION. Most companies have a meaningless mission statement that was created by a marketing department.
It’s all about being number one, exceeding customer expectations, and building shareholder value. Barf.
- What’s your real mission?
- Is it different from your mission statement?
- Where’s the value to the customer?
- Isn’t that the real mission?
You Need A Value Prop That Explains:
- How you help others
- How they win
- How you serve in terms of the customer
- How your services will lead to loyal customers and referrals
And a mission statement that matches it.
Show Your Customer How They Win
A value proposition states what you do in terms of how a customer benefits.
For example: You might say, “We provide 4-hour service response.” A more effective way to state the same thing is, “When equipment is broken or needs repair, production stops. That’s why we instituted 4-hour or less service response. That way there is minimal loss of productivity and job profitability.”
Same words, but the latter is stated in terms of how the customer wins.
3 Reasons Value Matters To Your Prospect
- It differentiates you from the competition.
- It gives the customer understandable reasons to purchase.
- It gives the customer the peace of mind they need to move forward and to buy.
3 Reasons Value Matters To Your Customer
- It builds a real relationship.
- It makes re-orders more automatic and less bid-driven.
- It eliminates competition. Most competitors thrive on “saving a customer money.” Customers don’t want to save money as much as they want to produce more and make more profit.
When Perception Of Value Counts
At the end of any sales transaction, or when an existing customer has a need, that’s when perception plays its heaviest role.
If the customer perceives a difference in you, and perceives a reassuring value in terms of how he wins, the sale is yours.
If not, the sale goes to the person with the lowest price. Lowest price always means lowest profit.
The more you put value in terms of how they win, how they profit, and how they produce, the more it will be perceived as real value.
In Sales EQ, Jeb Blount takes you on an unprecedented journey into the behaviors, techniques, and secrets of the highest earning salespeople in every industry and field and teaches you how to become an Ultra-High Performer. Download your FREE chapters of Sales EQ here.
![6 High-Probability Moments to Send LinkedIn Connection Requests Prior to an Event Events create natural relevance. Conferences, trade shows, user groups, and local meetups give you a reason to connect that does not feel forced. The mistake sellers make is waiting until the event starts or turning the request into a pitch. A better move is connecting days or weeks ahead with a simple acknowledgment of the shared event. Example: Hi Sarah, saw you’re attending the Midwest Manufacturing Summit next month. I’ll also be there and am super excited! I’d love to catch up in person at the event. In the meantime, let’s connect here on LinkedIn. You are aligning with something already on their calendar. When you see them at the event or reach out afterward, your name is no longer unfamiliar. Following an Event After an event, connection requests work best when they reference a real interaction, even a small one. A short conversation, a question during a session, or a brief introduction creates enough context. The request should reflect that moment, not attempt to convert it into a follow-up. Example: Tim, I enjoyed meeting you at the conference last week. Your take on [subject/trend/idea] was intriguing. I look forward to staying connected and to our next conversation. This reinforces continuity and professionalism without pushing the relationship forward prematurely. After a Sales Call Sending a connection request after a sales call is one of the most underused opportunities in prospecting. If the call was answered and productive, the request reinforces credibility and continuity. Example: Thanks again for the conversation today. I appreciated your perspective on how your team is thinking about next quarter. I look forward to our next meeting and sharing some ideas I have with you and your team. If the prospect did not answer, a connection request can still make sense as a light reinforcement, especially early in the relationship. It keeps your name present without escalating pressure. Either way, the request works because the call establishes legitimacy first. After a Meaningful Interaction Not all interactions happen in formal selling environments. Thoughtful exchanges in comment threads, group discussions, or brief conversations in passing all create natural moments to connect. That might mean running into each other at a non-work event, crossing paths at an airport, or chatting briefly in a line somewhere unexpected. Example: Haley, it was a pleasure meeting you on our flight to Atlanta. Thank you for your restaurant recommendations! I look forward to staying connected, What makes this work is that the interaction was real. The request simply continues it. Mutual Connections Shared connections reduce perceived risk when handled with restraint. They signal that you operate in similar professional circles, not that you have permission to pitch. The mistake is overexplaining or implying endorsement. Example: Hi Mark, I noticed that you are connected to my good friend, James, and since you are also [interested in, working in, located in] I thought it might make sense for us to be connected also. A simple acknowledgment is enough. Familiarity does the work. Profile Views Profile views signal awareness, not intent. When someone views your profile after a call, email, or content interaction, a connection request can make sense as a low-pressure acknowledgment. Example: Wendy, thank you for visiting my profile. I had a chance to look at yours, and based on your interests, I thought it might make sense for us to connect. The discipline is resisting the urge to read more into it than is there. Want the exact framework for integrating LinkedIn into a disciplined outreach sequence without pitching, spamming, or wasting time? Buy The LinkedIn Edge by Jeb Blount and Brynne Tillman today. Sales Gravy is the number one sales training organization](https://salesgravy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/6-Moments-LinkedIn-Connection-Requests-Actually-Work-in-Prospecting-Sales-Gravy-Blog-Featured-Image-768x401.jpg)
