Here's the story of a £2.75 lesson that could be worth millions:
On a certain morning it was raining quite bit. This is not unusual in the United Kingdom as you may know, but it’s never a thing I look forward to when I’m in a rush to run an errand. I visited a small typical old fashioned English shop where they still sell loads of herbs in large jars, different cheeses, bread in brown paper bags as well as loads of nuts that you can weigh on an old scale. You get the picture.
Once I paid for my products and the lady saw I had bought myself some 'Dutch Stroopwafels', she said:
"Oh, that's so nice with this weather", whilst looking outside. I replied: "Yes! With a cup of tea...” “Or on it!", she then replied quickly.
She was referring to warming up your stroopwafel on top of a cup of tea, waiting until the caramel has melted a little bit, so that the sweetness melts nicely on your tongue as soon as you taste it, giving that little extra comfort on a rainy day.
And then it suddenly dawned on me. What this lady said could be worth millions!!
For her, it was not about what I bought, it was about why I bought it. It was the experience of it all. Sitting there with a nice cup of tea and your stroopwafels, whilst looking out of the window seeing and hearing the rain fall outside. Instantly, I understood what she meant and I ‘felt’ the same. Your ‘why’ is about how you ‘feel’! This is PURE GOLD!
The reasons why someone buys something are a million times more valuable than what they buy. And because I bought it in this very tiny shop on an English lane on a rainy day, knowing that I have a lovely cup of tea to look forward to with a Dutch Stroopwafel on top of it, whilst seeing it rain whilst I can hear it on the roof, is the reason whyI bought the product!
The shift from selling what we do, to why we do it makes it attractive for our customers to keep coming back.
This is the reason why clients want to work with you: it is the experience of working with you that makes the difference. Yes, you need to have intention and ability, but attention is just as valueble for a client.
How I do this in my voice-over business? I like to always look for something where I can add extra value. Either by helping them solve a problem or very carefully giving a snipped of advice, which might open their mind to something they did not think about. It might be by throwing in some stunning audio processing for free, making my voice-over recording stand out, ready to be used in their next project. There are many way to go about this. The main thing is to remember that the experience of the client counts for them. It might well be the reason why they come back next time!
So, here you go, just some musings about selling your ‘why’ instead of your ‘what’.
