The Value of Providing Value

by Joe Montroy, Bergquist, Inc.

Build loyalty by offering solutions that answer your customers’ needs.

Are you providing value to your customers? I’m not talking about just delivering propane or heating fuel. Many retailers mistake that for value – but here’s the thing: everyone delivers fuel. Most retailers even do it without letting the customer ever run out. If everyone does it, those are just the table stakes. There is very little about reliably delivering fuel that a customer perceives as value. In this case, value is solving a problem or fulfilling a need for the user. Can you offer solutions that answer the needs of your customers? Providing that kind of value prevents your customers from even considering shopping around for a new provider.

Circumstances are constantly changing for your customers. When it happens, they want an energy expert they can lean on for support. These are opportunities to be the knowledgeable provider who is ready with solutions. The value of providing solutions to problems or needs that customers encounter is that it makes you more than just their propane or heating fuel provider. You have made your company a solutions provider for this account. Now you are creating customer loyalty. Watch them start relying on you instead of constantly shopping for the lowest price.

Here is the thing that is easy to overlook. Value is different for every customer. You don’t know what the magic formula is going to be until you have a meaningful conversation with someone.  Sure, you can take an educated guess based on experience about what might appeal to a customer. But to really hit the mark, you need to have an actual conversation to understand their specific needs.

What can you do to be ready with solutions when you don’t even know what the issue will be? One way is to have a good grasp of products available to you.  The right product provides a solution to a customer’s need. Maybe they want to improve their energy efficiency. It could be a remodel. Or they built an addition. Perhaps the size of their family has changed. Whatever the need, if you have a basic understanding of the options available, you can present solutions to solve customers’ needs.

And it’s easier than you think. You don’t have to be an expert on every option out there. Just like you’re a partner to your customers, manufacturers and distributors are there to support you. They are available to provide value to you by offering knowledge and solutions. You are the source that connected the dots for your customer and helped improve their situation.

A friend of mine likes to say that if we don’t provide value for our customers, someone else will. And he’s spot on. Right now, you have competitors looking to follow this exact path. They plan to create customer loyalty by offering solutions and providing more value than you. They will lock in a customer by asking good questions and listening to the answers. Then that competitor will use the knowledge they have, and the same manufacturers and distributors available to you, in order to create a client who no longer shops around for the lowest price every heating season. If this feels a little threatening, then that’s a good sign that you know there is more you can offer your customers.

At the end of the day, delivering fuel is just the start. If you are not solving problems for your customers, someone else will – and they’ll win their loyalty in the process. To truly stand out, you must be more than just a provider; you need to be a partner they can count on when things change.

It starts with listening. Ask the right questions, get to know what they really need, and then find solutions that fit. It could be helping them save energy, upgrading their equipment, or finding the right solution for a new situation. When you do that, you’re not just filling a tank – you’re building a relationship that makes them want to stick with you, year after year.

The competitors out there? They’re already thinking this way. They are ready to step in and take that loyalty if you’re not. So, if this idea feels like it’s hitting home, that’s because there’s room for you to offer more. Don’t wait until it is too late – start listening, start offering solutions, and start turning those customers into loyal partners.

Joe Montroy is Vice President, Sales for propane equipment supplier Bergquist, Inc. He can be reached at 616-724-6460 or joe.montroy@bergquistinc.com.

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