Deliver Your Deliverable
Ok, so you have your Deliverable figured out – and that is no small thing. So, congratulations! If nothing thus far makes sense, let me refer you to the article: Build a Deliverable.
But, if you’re ready to go to the next level, let’s dive in.
Deliver Your Deliverable – in 3 Steps
When it comes to hitting the market with your Deliverable, be encouraged to think along these lines:
- Free. Be prepared to deliver something of value. Now, to self contradict a bit, there is no value in free. But for now, let’s just go with it.
- Low level. Create or make available some low level product or service to promote engagement.
- High level. Every business wants to sell or close the big deal. This is the ultimate prize for many; however, be content at any level of engagement.
And now, we’ll briefly discuss each potential level of engagement.
Free
Whereas there is no direct value in free, as mentioned earlier, go with this for now. To familiarize your potential customers with your goods or services, what better way to get them acquainted than to give them a taste?
When I was a kid, I remember the day the postman delivered a free 12 oz. can of Aspen soda to our doorstep. Aspen was a carbonated, apple-flavored soda. Growing up in a family where treats were reserved for kids that polished off their dinner plates, I must admit that I was pretty excited about a free treat. I drank it right away.
Obviously, the manufacturer had the idea that, if they gave everyone a great can of soda, people would rush out right away and buy a bunch. For the record, it was good. And the approach worked!
Blue Elevator™ clients will also recall the Wall Drug story and the FREE ice water that miraculously took their “business to the next level™.”
Low Level
Since it’s hard to make a living giving something away for free, at some point every business hopes to see some traction. Within the context of your Deliverable, you will do well to devise or construct some small level of engagement. The idea here is to begin to monetize your involvement with customers – even in the smallest of ways.
An example of this might be an in-home service company that offers a heating and air conditioning tune up for $99 – the idea being that if the technician …
- shows up on time,
- is clean and courteous,
- does a thorough job,
- leaves the home and his/her equipment in better condition than how he/she found it,
- and doesn’t try to “up-sell” the customer something they don’t need,
… then credibility and goodwill should ensue. Down the road, when it is time to replace the system that at long last breaks, who better to do the service than the company that faithfully did the annual tune ups?
High Level
Every business hopes that everyone is ready to spend the big bucks. Sure, you hope people buy the “super deluxe” version of what you offer. It’s nice. It’s great. But it’s not super realistic that every person buys this package. Take the pressure off of your potential customers. Take the pressure off of yourself.
It is Blue Elevator™’s belief that properly nurtured customers will buy when they are ready. As a business owner, your job is to understand that if you …
- properly engage with customers in a relational manner,
- follow Real Engagement Rules,
- have properly structured your Deliverable,
- have properly priced your goods/services
- conduct yourself with skill and trust,
- and follow the Rules of Seven,
… then we believe you will eventually get traction in the marketplace.
On Levels and Profits
When thinking about the various levels of engagement for your Deliverable, it is important to use the proper principles as referenced earlier. Your profit margin, ideally, is the same throughout each level.
In other words, “low level” engagement doesn’t mean low profits. The profit margin percentage should be relatively constant.
So, Deliver your Deliverable!
Our encouragement to you is to deliver your Deliverable, but be content with any level of engagement. The goal isn’t necessarily to have customers engage with you at the highest level. Customers will pick the level that they are comfortable with.
Your job is to be excellent on each and every level. Exercise skill and build trust. And like we stated in the article, The Relational Business, God willing, “then you too can enjoy a prolonged harvest of business.”
JAN
About the Author:
Ken Moll is the Principal and Founder of Blue Elevator®. With professional experience spanning four decades, Ken has a breadth of foundational business knowledge rarely found – making him part of an elite class of professionals. Ken's passion is helping clients of Blue Elevator® get their “business to the next level™.”