Neatly Delivering Value
Most salespeople turn off the value tap as soon as the transaction is complete. Successful sellers keep the relationship (and value) flowing.
A while ago I backed a Kickstarter campaign for a smartphone tripod mount called the Glif. Production took a little longer than the creators predicted, in the end they delivered a great finished product which I am very happy with.
For most transactions this would be the end, right?
They pitched a product, I paid them money, they delivered it. Thanks and have a nice day (please tell your friends). Boom. Done.
But Studio Neat is handling our transaction in a very non-transactional way.
Dan and Tom from Studio Neat are not only staying in touch, but I don’t feel like they are constantly pitching me to buy something else from them (though they do have other products, and they do tell me about them from time to time). Instead of sending me crappy marketing emails filled with their latest product pitch or a coupon to lure me back or begging me to tell 10 friends about them — they are helping me get more value out of the thing I already bought from them.
In today’s email newsletter (they send one out every week or so) among the expected 2 or 3 links the owners share about a favorite thing they found online, they also sent link to a web page titled “The Glif Accessory Guide“. This page listed a half dozen items that are compatible for use with the Glif product they sell. But, that’s not the interesting part.
The interesting part is that Studio Neat doesn’t sell any of the featured accessories.
If I click and buy one of these items (which I did, and I will) they don’t earn a dime from me. Technically, that’s not true. I’m pretty sure they used Amazon affiliate links and they’ll probably get exactly a dime when I buy something from their link.
One of my favorite creative thinkers once asked: “Now that you have this — new knowledge, a product, a new website, and new book, etc. — what else does this make possible?” In that original context the question was being asked in terms of one’s own success, development, and growth; but Studio Neat asked that same kind of question in terms of making their customers most successful and helping them get more value from the product they had purchased.
One of my mentor’s most quoted lines is “Give Value First”, but it is just as important is to give value often — first, last, and always.
Most salespeople and retail stores (and yes, even Kickstarter campaigns) abandon the delivery of value as soon as the sale is complete. Once my money is in their wallet and they hand me their product, I may not hear from them again. Ever. Unless they have something new they want to sell me.
On the other hand, businesses like Studio Neat keep the conversation (and the value) going.
They are helping me find new and better ways to use and talk about the original product I bought from them. And I am (this article is a direct result of the value they delivered to my email box today.)
Isn’t that neat?
It’s also smart.
…and profitable.
