How to Add Value Before Selling

After three decades in the mortgage business, one thing is clear to me: fighting over price at the 'point of sale' is a losing game. Stop Chasing the 'Best Price'—Start Owning the Conversation The 'point of sale' is where Loan Officers scramble to undercut each other, hoping to win on price alone. But hope isn’t a strategy, and price wars rarely lead to lasting success. The real opportunity lies earlier—at the 'point of thought.' This is where relationships begin, trust is built, and value is created. It’s where you can truly differentiate yourself by offering more than just a rate. How? By playing the long game: ✅ Educate your clients about credit, budgeting, and the home-buying process. ✅ Provide tools and resources that help them prepare for their financial journey. ✅ Host workshops, webinars, and consultations that empower and inspire. The magic happens when you stop chasing quick wins and start engaging deeply, months (or even years) before a client is ready to buy. This isn’t just a strategy; it’s a mindset shift. By delivering value early and often, you’ll build trust and loyalty that not only sets you apart but ensures you’re the first call when the time comes. Are you still fighting over price, or are you creating value at the point of thought?

Are discounts hurting your brand’s image, and performance? Before you start tossing around discounts just to get customers to buy, take a step back. Are you building a discount brand, or do you want to retain that premium image? I often see brands “train” their customers to only shop with them during heavy discount periods. This is NOT a winning strategy. Often times this dilutes margins and pulls revenue forward at the expense of predictable and stable 30/60/90 days sales. You also attract a different type of buyer (discount shopper), who usually has lower CLV and churns faster. Here’s how to get creative with your offers without slashing prices: 1. Test the Wording Instead of defaulting to percentage discounts, experiment with more strategic language in your offers. For example, if you’re a subscription business, try a "double hit" offer, where customers can bundle two subscriptions to save on shipping or receive a slight added value. This approach keeps the offer compelling without lowering your brand’s perceived value. Wording like “Double Your Order, Save on Shipping” gives the feel of an exclusive offer while still protecting margins. 2. Offer Freebies Instead For premium brands, offering a freebie can be far more powerful than offering discounts. At MANSSION, for example, free ring sizers are provided with each purchase, which adds value without devaluing the product. This approach makes customers feel they’re getting something special and unexpected. This tactic works especially well for building brand loyalty, as customers associate the “extra” with your brand’s generosity. 3. Escalate Offers for Retention Rather than immediately offering a discount to customers who haven’t repurchased, consider using a tiered incentive system. Start with a small offer, like free shipping or a minor add-on, and gradually escalate only if they remain inactive. This gives you a retention lever without conditioning customers to expect discounts right away. It also preserves the brand’s premium positioning, rewarding patience with stronger offers over time. 4. Focus on Value, Not Price Instead of simply lowering prices, focus on delivering additional value. Consider bundling products at a slightly reduced price, offering loyalty program perks, or providing exclusive early access to new products. The goal is to give customers a reason to keep buying from you without eroding your brand image. When value is defined by unique experiences or exclusive access, customers perceive your brand as generous and premium—not discounted. Key Takeaway: You don’t have to race to the bottom with discounts. A well-thought-out offer that preserves your brand’s integrity is far more powerful. Remember: Value > Price.

I recently closed a $15,000 deal with the potential of being a $100K deal. We had 3 discovery calls w/ 2 presentations. Here are 6 strategies I did to close this in less than 30 days that you can copy: 1/ Shared My Research: I did my homework on the company, industry, and buyer persona. I got to the call and shared my notes about my research and how I connected the dots. E.g. "Btw, from my understanding, you're dealing with a really antiquated buyer persona for the most part who is either using a competitor or some old school method of doing things, like managing their tasks on Excel..." Don't keep your notes private. 2/ Be Radically Transparent: Most salespeople try to hide that they're taking notes and looking at another screen, but prospects want to feel like you're taking their problems/goals seriously. E.g. "Btw, if you see me look at another screen, it's because I am. I'm writing some notes and ideas down as we talk through this, which I'll share at the end." Be candid. 3/ Looked For Problems: Salespeople hate opening a can of objections during a call, but I'd argue that is your best bet for maintaining control of the deal. I asked questions that would get me and my business in trouble. The prospect ends up selling you on why you'd be a better fit. E.g. "You mentioned you used to use [COMPETITOR] training program, why not just continue with them since the team is sold on it already?" Unsell yourself. 4/ Gave Value Before The Pitch: Most prospects expect you to spend more time pitching your services or product, but I flipped it on its head. I spent more time giving them strategies and advice on how to better run their department. E.g. "Whether you go with me, another provider, or none at all, here's what I recommend you do in the next 30-60 days.. [INSERT VALUE ADD]." Always teach something new. 5/ Set Up Next Steps Upfront: Most salespeople set up next steps at the end of the call, but that's when prospects are out the door. I like to set them up front because there's the least amount of resistance. E.g. "Assuming this would be fit, you'd probably want another call to dive deeper into your process so we can scope out the work and proposal, so let's set some time in the end to do that later this week for 30 minutes, sound good?" Make next steps worth it for them to agree. 6/ Recapped In The Beginning: At the beginning of our follow-up discovery call, I recapped their challenges/goals from our last call, but I did it by sharing my screens and showing them my notes. E.g. "Based on our last call, these were top of mind for you [LIST CHALLENGES/GOALS] - 1) What's missing from here? 2) And are these still top of mind? Use slides strategically. The takeaway: prospects don't want to be sold to, they want to be helped. #helpmedontsellme P.S. Here are my top 24 discovery questions to quantify pain that helped me close this deal: https://lnkd.in/edAVrn2v