Remember playing with a magnet in the dirt as a kid? It always amazed me how that little red piece of metal could find all those metal filings in the dirt and just pick them up without glue or tape.

How cool would it be if you were a customer magnet and could reach out into the world and snatch up all those “perfect customers” for you business? You know they’re out there. If you could only find them and then satisfy their need for whatever whatchamacallits they were seeking at that very moment!

Well, we don’t have such powers but we do have plenty of tools to work with that can help us attract customers. As business people, we all know about advertising and marketing and the importance of consistency and repetition. But I’m not going to write about these tools.

We also know the power of sales, using an effective script and addressing all the objections before they appear in the prospects mind, but I’m not going to mention these tools either.

Instead, I’m going to tell you what really works for me. I call it “padded value”. It’s kind of like “added value” but more. I really like thickly padded couches! You know the type. When you sit down on one it’s so cushy that you can hardly stay awake. You just want to kick off your shoes, curl up with a fluffy pillow or under a warm blanket and take a nap. When the time comes to leave you really don’t want to go. That’s “padded value”. Here’s how it works for me.

From the moment I meet a new prospect, I investigate his or her desires… what do they want or expect that I can offer them? I’m a great negotiator! I add a little more to my service, take a little more from my price, and pay a little more attention to detail. The cushier the deal, the more willing the customer is to savor the goods. This doesn’t mean to need to lose all your profit but you do need to mention ALL the benefits of what you can offer over everyone else. Therefore, know your products and services as well as those of your competitors so you can underscore how yours is the best deal around.

There are lasting advantages to giving your customers padded value. They not only come back for more but they talk. They tell others about the great deal they got and then you get to reward them with discounts and more padded values for the referrals they bring to you. It’s all about giving and, as we all know, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

So the next time you think about becoming a customer magnet, envision the value of having all your customers’ magnetism and how they’re attracting more customers for you. Then smile. It’s really your business that getting padded!
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Contact Anza Business Center to see what kind of padded value is available for you.