I’m sick of hearing about “added value.” So are customers. We have to start giving our customers and prospects something real instead of spouting off intangible and meaningless phrases we’ve gotten from marketing.

Believe me, much of the “added value” we spew on our customers lands on deaf ears.

Voodoo Added Value
Voodoo Added Value is my term for the embellished, intangible and baseless added value we hurl at customers. Want some examples?

“We have the best trained account managers.” Name one of your competitors that doesn’t claim the same thing.

“We can provide any product or service for you, even if it’s not in our product line.” Really? Can you? Think the customer believes that? Does your employer believe that?

“We are an honest company.” Oh please! Companies aren’t honest, people are.

“We’re the Mercedes of the business.” Again, name one of your competitors that you think might say something like, “Oh yes, we’re not that great at what we do, but we have great looking account managers.”

“We provide the fastest service/product delivery/response times/etc.” Quick, how many of your competitors say this? Answer: all of them.

The Great Contradiction
Given that your competitors are repeating these same kinds of Voodoo Added Values, actually not saying them becomes a real added value. This is counterintuitive.

Think about it.  Authenticity, credibility, factuality, legitimacy and originality are valued by customers. They respond positively to these qualities. No hollow marketing chatter required.

Sales Blog Epilogue
Rules to sell by – and to avoid the trap of Voodoo Added Value:

• Anytime you feel it necessary to start machine-gunning your customers with added value statements, ask yourself, “Is this the least bit original or has this customer heard this from all of my competitors?” If it fails this test, it’s Voodoo Added Value. Your customer isn’t listening.
• Am I making legitimate and factual claims as to the added benefits my company brings to the table? If the answer is no – Voodoo Added Value.
• If what you’re saying is not credible, or if you don’t sound credible, you guessed it, Voodoo Added Value.
• Am I being authentic or am I being a phony? Don’t forget that buying from you is not your customers’ first rodeo. They can sniff out an imposter in about three nanoseconds.

Further reading:
What Value Do We Need To Be Selling In A Recession?
Rise Above Commodity Style Selling

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Related posts:

1. 3 Selling Situations Affected by Added Value
2. A Great Selling Tip when Selling Commodities
3. Rise Above Commodity Style Selling
4. Pre-selling
5. Your customers are cheating on you.

Tags: collateral, language, recession, script

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