Create, Live and Be Passionate About Your Customer Value Proposition
In October, Brett Robinson, Senior Vice President of Strategic Leadership for Clearwater Living presented the webinar, ‚ÄúHave You Hugged your Customer Value Proposition Today?‚Äù. In the webinar, Robinson explains the importance of understanding your community values, your customers’ values and how they apply to what you have to offer.
“There is room for all of us to get better every day.‚Äù Brett Robinson
Robinson states that having a customer value proposition is a way to make tours more personalized to the values of customers coming in to your community. However, Robinson argues that there is an “opportunity to shine in our business but we don’t.” This is a common theme in communities, as many tours sound the same. Whether it be about your great food, fun and inviting activities, or comprehensive care – everyone is saying a version of that, so what sets you apart from your competitors? This is the heart of what Robinson addresses in his talk.
Customer value propositions (CVP) require sales teams to come together and define what value means to you and your community. The community values should be clear and easy to translate to customers, so the sales team can connect and apply those value to prospective families when they visit.  Robinson suggests writing them down and personalizing your community values to figure out where these show through the most in your community.
Throughout the webinar, Robinson asked: what is value and who creates it? He further gives an example of a chef who fought for an ice cream maker to be added to the budget and once she was allocated one, she began to create flavors that many staff members and residents had never thought to try – and they were amazing!
This created a special aspect of their community that was purely individual. The value of the ice cream is the joy and expectation it gave to the community as people waited to try the new flavors. Robinson says that you must challenge yourself to capture the beauty of the people and company you have, and build and nurture their value and positive impact to the community as a whole. Knowing what your community is skilled and successful with, can be used to strengthen your CVP.
Robinson suggests “hugging your CVP”. Embrace your customer values and discover the families connection. Figure out where to put the key points of your community to connect with their value or concern. By doing this, you will help to convey why your community is worth the price tag.
Further, sell what you love. Create a meaningful and persuasive sales presentation around what makes your community special. The more value you create, the less price matters. Quality of life, meaningful connections – these are what will effect a resident’s life and what truly matters to them.
Robinson concluded his webinar by outlining an exercise to go through with your sales team to perfect your CVP one pager:
- Do you know your competition?
This step takes time, as there are different approaches to take. This is not just simple comparisons that a family can figure out on their own. For example, have you eaten there? Have you called at 6pm to see what the reception is like? Try and assess what the perks of your competitors are and figure out how to counter them at your own community. - Gather your team
Set aside 1-2 hours to be together and prepare with poster sized sticky-notes. This will require all of you to be creative and brainstorm ways to make the customer experience the best they will ever have. Remember, the little things matter to families go a long way in the decision making process. - Define value – what it looks and feels like
This is a simple step, as it has been discussed throughout the presentation. You and your staff should determine what is important for your community to prioritize when it comes to core values. - Get into your community’s key strengths
How can you showcase your strengths? If you have great activities, plan tours around when activities are scheduled. Maintain the appearance of both the outside and inside of your community. Personalize tours to each family and their values, and show them how your community fits their lifestyle. - Create a community pitch
Show the vision and how you will be a resource. Show how you can be part of the solution in a difficult time in their life. Capture big picture talking points: people, socialization, innovation, company history. This could be anything unique that further sells your values.
To see the full webinar, click below: