Your solution is not all things to all people – but at the same time, it is also very possible that your solution does more than even you think.

When I was in grade school, our class was broken into groups, and each group was given a tennis ball. Our assignment? Come up with as many possible uses for the tennis ball as we could come up with.

The ball was designed for playing tennis – positioned and sold as such. You find them in sporting goods stores, or with other sports equipment in most other stores. However, the uses are endless…

1) Used on the bottom of walkers to make sliding easier
2) Used to store secret things – cut a slit, squeeze it, place the object inside.
3) As a massager – roll it around your back or other tight spots
4) A car marker in the garage…hung from the ceiling to know how far to pull in
5) Stress reliever for your hands as a squeezer
6) Scratch preventers for the bottoms of desks and chairs
7) In the dryer – helps keep bulky objects from balling up, and removes static
8) Dog toy
9) Trailer hitch cover
10) At the very least…find an organization to recycle them versus tossing them in the trash. Shoes, tennis courts themselves, and many other uses have been found from those old tennis balls.

We all know that pretending to be all things to all people repels other human beings – and especially prospects. Your solution doesn’t do everything a buyer could possibly want. There is something your organization has had to give up in order to be great at its core. There is something a competitor does that you do not. The solution hasn’t worked perfectly for every client. There’s a book people seem to like that might help you figure this part of your messaging out. 😁

However, have you taken the time to explore the value your clients have received beyond how you traditionally position your solutions? Your website makes claims. Your salespeople make claims. But what is the actual experience with the client? Do they match up?

Finding your “tennis ball” value

Here’s an easy way to start collecting your “tennis ball” value. There are two questions to ask your current clients…and the ideal time to do so is right after they’ve renewed, bought more or advocated.

1) “While we think we know why you just (renewed, bought more, advocated), but with all your priorities and projects, why did you (renew, buy more, advocate)?”

Then embrace the silence, and let them answer. Collect the answers. I’m willing to bet “because of the ROI” is not an answer you’re going to receive. You may get a glowing compliment like, “because your customer service is so great”, but you’re more likely to get unique answers that speak to what truly motivates your customers to stay, buy more and advocate. Maybe it’s the impact your solution has on them, personally. Maybe it’s the impact they’ve seen on their organization, their customers, or even their customers’ customers. You won’t know unless you ask.

2) “When you first signed on with us, you had an expectation as to what the experience was going to be like, and what the benefits would be. What’s one benefit or value you’ve received from your journey with us that you weren’t expecting?”

Again, embrace the silence. Let them talk. Maybe the answer is “nothing”, but I doubt it. If the client is renewing, buying more or advocating, you may be surprised at the answers you get that go beyond what you list as the value you provide on your website or through the words that come out of your marketers and salespeople. Listen and collect.

In the end, you may be surprised to find commonalities amongst the answers you receive. Those commonalities could result in an opportunity to optimize your positioning, differentiate more effectively, or even drive more upsell and advocacy.

I’ve always found it odd that the vendors spend more time surveying me after I’ve had a problem, thus reminding me of the problem I had and placing it even more firmly in my memory, yet they rarely do the same when my engagement is for good reasons.

Try it…and let me know what comes out of it. Worst case, you learn nothing you didn’t already know, but get a satisfying feeling from the compliments you’re bound to receive.

Nothing makes me happier than (a) hearing from you – the good, the bad, the adds and subtracts – and (b) if you like it, share it.

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