Measuring value:

Do you analyse your previous work to measure the value you provide to your clients? If not, then making that change will likely help you move your business forward, win more work, and achieve new targets.

In our experience, once a salesperson has won a deal, their focus quickly moves to the next opportunity or prospect. Often, there are no steps in place to measure the impact and the value provided during the engagement. This is particularly evident in the professional services space, where it can often be difficult to establish quantifiable metrics and, when we do, success depends on several criteria outside our control.

However, when we have an understanding of what exactly good looks like, we are much better able to match our proposition to a client’s requirements and communicate demonstrable, quantifiable value to that client and others. With that in mind, one critical question when engaging with clients is, “How are you going to measure success?”

When we know how to answer this, we may also be in a position to help them measure the impact against their relevant critical success factors.

Go back to go forwards

There are some clear benefits to engaging with a client on this level:

1. We gain a deeper understanding of what the client wants to achieve, and so can offer the most suitable solution(s) to ensure success;
2. We are seen as a trusted advisor and partner, involved throughout the project.
3. The impact can be demonstrated to the client, building confidence and potentially opening further opportunities.

Together, these benefits help us become closely aligned with the client, strengthening relationships and reducing the risk of being replaced by another provider.

When we have measured our impact, we are then also in a position to use this information with other clients, opportunities and/or prospects. When we communicate the value we may be able to add to their organisation, we can back up our claim through the use of proof points and third-party validation.

A continuous cycle of lead generation

We can visualise the process and methodology outlined above as follows:

What can you do next?

1. Measure the impact of your client engagements, involving the client in this discussion from the very beginning.
2. Communicate the quantifiable value you are providing to clients, opportunities and prospects, as well as internally within your organisation.

To discover more effectively obtaining success metrics and utilising this information to improve sales force effectiveness, let’s talk growth.