OWP liVe REPORT

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The Negotiation Gap

customer interaction with your products to be monitored and improved.

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This occurs when buyers avoid the acknowledgement of your product’s or service’s value in the interest of securing a good deal. Solution: Addressing the negotiation gap has to come after the previous gaps have been tackled. Then you can engage in a factual review with your customers in order to begin to change hearts and minds. By outlining the changes you have made to your offer to better meet their needs, you invite them to reciprocate with the same level of candor. In the end, it is important to realize that the gap between the value the firm claims it provides and the value customers perceive is a strategic issue that spans multiple departments. To bridge it, it is best to adopt a cross-organizational response.

The Uncertainty Gap

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Three factors affect the uncertainty gap; variability, causal ambiguities and intangibility. Variability is the result of a perceived disparity between the offer and customer perception. A causal ambiguity occurs where data parameters are open to question. Finally, intangibility may create uncertainty in buyers. Solution: Reach out to customers to help them better understand the benefits of the offer. By tailoring to meet their interests and making value visible you can start closing the gap. Referrals from your high-status customers can help to achieve this, as can ranking systems undertaken with competitors. Credible third-party evaluation offers a way to talk about intangibles, such as safety issues.

"If you find you have a value gap, you are sitting on a potential goldmine. It is up to you to grab it."

FRÉDÉRIC DALSACE