“The role of brands has shifted, with the public expecting them to focus on “solving real, human problems and offering joy-filled solutions,” Brad Hiranaga, Chief Brand Officer, North America, General Mills (source).
Brands that are focused on helping their clients feel safe and taken care of have the advantage. As always, a helpful and authentic tone is necessary. This isn’t about pushing products or services for the sake of selling something. It’s about selling real value: How are you giving them peace of mind? Or saving them time and money? Does it appeal to what they value—convenience, safety, sustainability, etc.?
Value selling takes a different approach. It’s thoughtful, it’s more collaborative and it requires excellent listening skills. It’s essential to take the time to understand your clients’ challenges and concerns. It will inform the strategic recommendations you make to support their business objectives and align you on a common mission.
Most importantly, you have to be honest about what you can and can’t do to help them. Every relationship matters. When you lead from a place of ‘how may we help you?’, you’re offering a willingness to invest your time and work together to truly support people and businesses that are going through significant amounts of change and stress.
In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, we sometimes lose sight of the fundamentals for building strong partnerships. As we all do our best to navigate this trying time, being helpful to one another is one of the best ways to move forward.
If you’re looking to support in developing authentic brand communications, please contact TechComms, a b2b tech marketing and communications agency on + 44 (0) 203 322 8928.
