Unique Beautiful Fun
23 June 2017 by Sarah-Jane Smith
sjsmith.com.au - blog
Why giving stuff away is good business
Value Adding
You hear a lot of people talking about value adding to your product or service but I think there can be some confusion about exactly what that is. Value adding, in short, is where you give your customer something in addition to what they've paid for. The trick to good value adding is to provide things that the customer values and wants, but that do not have a large outlay for yourself. Let's look at some examples.
If you're a jewellery seller maybe you offer a small travel pouch with your piece or a small extender for a bracelet or necklace. If you make wooden items maybe you offer a cleaning cloth and advice on proper wood cleaning and maintenance.
If you provide a course maybe you run a complimentary Facebook group where the participants can share their experiences and ask questions. If you're a coach maybe you can provide downloadable worksheets to help reinforce your message.
Downloadable items are often one of the most affordable ways to offer a value-added product to your customers so it's worth brainstorming whether you can adopt something along these lines as your sweetener.
If you're offering a physical product don't be too hung up on not offering a high value item. I recently purchased an embroidered bag online and I also received a small woven bracelet with a little bead. It's a sweet little gift and even though it's maybe not something I'd wear, I've put it on a teddy that has sentimental value. If I had a young relative I'd give it to her. This simple little gift did leave a good impression on me and that's what you're trying to achieve.
People love getting stuff for free. Don't underestimate the good impression even a small token can give!
Till next time,
Sarah-Jane X
