Reaction paper to the article "Customer Value Proposition in Business Markets" by James C. Anderson, James A. Narus, and Wouter van Rossum. The article in the famous magazine deals with the challenge of understanding the customer and defining the value proposition that will speak to his personal needs. It identifies 4 steps in this process: Understanding Customers business, Substantiate your value claims, Documenting value delivered and Making customer value proposition a central business skill.
Difficult Customer
".... As soon as they had entered the palace, Shahriyar caused his wife to be beheaded, and in like manner the women and black slaves; and thenceforth he made it his regular custom, every time that he took a virgin to his bed, to kill her at the expiration of the night. Thus he continued to do during a period of three years; and the people raised an outcry against him, and fled with their daughters, and there remained not a virgin in the city of a sufficient age for marriage. Such was the case when the King ordered the Wezir to bring him a virgin according to his custom; and the Wezir went forth and searched, and found none; and he went back to his house enraged and vexed, fearing what the King might do to him...."
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| Edouard Frédérich Wilhelm Richter (French, 1844-1913) Shéhérazade |
Understanding Customers Business
Understand unique requirements and preferences of the customer and his attitude towards your services/ products in general
"...The story of the cheated wife and the following words of Efrit stuck in Shahriyar's mind:
Never trust in women; nor rely upon their vows;
For their pleasure and displeasure depend upon their passions.
They offer a false affection; for perfidy lurks within their clothing.
By the tale of Yusuf be admonished, and guard against their stratagems.
Dost thou not consider that Iblis ejected Adam by means of woman?
Abstain from censure; for it will strengthen the censured, and increase desire into violent passion.
If I suffer such passion, my case is but the same that as of many a man before me:
For greatly indeed to be wondered at is he who hath kept himself safe from women’s artifice..."
Substantiate Your Value Claims and Document Value Delivered
Back up your value claims with accessible, persuasive language that describe the difference between your offerings and rivals. Create a written account of added value that existing customer have actually captured by using your offerings.
"But this, said Shahrazad, is not more wonderful than the story of the fisherman. The King asked her, And what is the story of the fisherman? And she related it as follows...Shall I continue?"
Make Customer Value Proposition a Central Business Skill
Improve manager's ability to craft compelling customer value propositions.
"... Now the Wezir had two daughters; the elder of whom was named Shahrazad; and the younger, Dunyzad. The former had read various books of histories, and the lives of preceding kings, and stories of past generations: it is asserted that she had collected together a thousand books of histories, relating to preceding generations and kings, and works of the poets..."
Result
And so the King kept Scheherazade alive day by day, as he eagerly anticipated the finishing of last night's story. At the end of 1,001 nights, and 1,000 stories, Scheherazade told the King that she had no more tales to tell him. During these 1,001 nights, the King had fallen in love with Scheherazade, and had three sons with her. So, having been made a wiser and kinder man by Scheherazade and her tales, he spared her life, and made her his Queen.
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