Add Value in the Perception, the Package, and the Presentation

What would the world do if it wasn’t for “buzz words” – those sort of “shorthand” words that denote much a much larger meaning condensed into a short phrase or singular word. Somehow we all know the meaning of these words and phrases in their larger context or sort of know the meaning of them. One such “buzz word” is “Value Added.”

I have heard this used time and time again but wonder what people mean when they say it or what they understand when they hear it and nod knowingly. I take it to mean “adding something of value to a product or service to differentiate it from other, similar or even identical, products or services.” So, how does a business add value to a product or service to separate it from the pack and make it more desirable?

Many books have been written on this fascinating topic so in the short space of this column we’ll just be touching on the subject of adding value. It’s all about changing the buyer’s perception of value. In other words, giving the purchaser something they feel has value without adding substantially to the cost or lowering (gasp!) your prices. It could be the manner in which people are treated in person, on the telephone, or in written communications – friendliness and pleasant surroundings adds value. It could be in the package such as an attractive report cover, sturdy shopping bag, or careful packaging of a fragile item. Added value can be perceived from your integrity and policies – guarantees, the manner in which returns are handled, and convenience factors like extended hours or reminder services. Value can be added in the manner products or services are presented such as the way wine is presented with grace and showmanship at a fine restaurant or the way a hair stylist positions you to look in the mirror when finished cutting your hair.

When I hear someone tell me they sell a commodity, I pull out my buzzword and ask, “What are you doing to deliver a “Value Added” experience? I’ll ask the same question of you!

Home Buyer Negotiating Power – You Have It

One of the most interesting phenomena I have experienced with home buyers is that, almost across the board, they assume they possess limited negotiating power. Buyers generally assume that the seller has the property and the bank has the money so they must have all the power, right? Nope.

Buyers enjoy a substantial amount of power in both home-price negotiations and mortgage negotiations. But they never believe they do. Let’s examine negotiating the price of your home. Buyers assume that sellers have multiple qualified prospects considering their home. Crafty real estate listing agents lead buyers to believe that if they don’t move on this home in the next couple of hours, they could lose it. And because of all this “interest,” the seller certainly won’t consider anything less than the full asking price.

In my experience, there are very few hot markets in which sellers have their pick of several pre-approved buyers who are prepared to close. I live in Baton Rouge, a city that was flooded with several hundred thousand people after Hurricane Katrina. At the time, Baton Rouge was such a hot market. But barring a catastrophic event that sends hundreds of thousands to your town looking for housing, almost no market is that hot.

If you are a pre-approved buyer that will be purchasing in the next few weeks, you are gold to the seller of a property. Most “interested” buyers are what we in real estate call “tire kickers.” These are buyers that have the inclination that they might buy in the next six months or ten years and decide to start looking. They don’t have their current home for sale, have not talked to a bank to see if they can afford the house, and are simply trying to get an idea of what’s out there. You on the other hand, have gotten a bank to agree to lend you money for a house, you have determined the neighborhoods you want to live in, and have a list of other houses you are considering. The seller will be thinking, “We better not let this one get away, because then we have to start all over doing open houses every weekend.” This situation affords you as a buyer substantial negotiating power.

Make sure the seller and seller’s agent know you are pre-approved by a bank and that you will be buying in the next couple of weeks. Let them know you have several attractive options you are considering and have to be able to get the home at a price you consider to be fair. Spend some time with the seller and agent going thorough the house and ask a lot of questions. There is a rule in negotiation that sellers become more negotiable in relation to the time they spend with a buyer.

Now, consider the facts. The seller has to sell their house to move on with their life. A house is not an easy item to convert to cash quickly. You have cash (or the promise of cash from the bank), and you are going to be making a decision among multiple attractive options in the next couple of weeks. Make sure the seller and seller’s agent know these facts, and watch the perception of power shift in your favor.

Tips to Create an Impressive Slide Show Presentation

There are, probably, no people, who have not tried creating slide shows. These presentations are effectively used for educative, business, marketing and personal purposes. The only thing is that your presentation should create positive impression and have visually appealing design to help you reach your goals. For this very reason, you should find out as much as possible about the major rules of creating photo presentations. It’s recommended to explore the topic prior to proceeding to your project so that you could have enough time to learn all the crucial nuances. If you are right about to start working on your slide show presentation, have a look at some tips on how to create interesting and appealing slide shows that will come up to the needs of spectators.

1. The Topic

The topic matters a lot in the choice of the best slide show creation approach. It has direct influence upon the design elements you will choose for your presentation, template, visuals etc. If you are given a topic, then it’s half of the work already as you will just need to plan the presentation structure. If you don’t have the one yet, then it will be more complicated. You will need more time to think over the presentation and its features.

2. Make It Unique

Whatever slide show maker you are going to use, avoid customizing the available designs. They look plain (if not boring) and they won’t be attention-grabbing, no matter how hard you try. Instead, choose a blank presentation template and start building your own slide show from scratch, using the design elements that suit the topic most of all.

3. Be Creative

Creativity is always favoured. This is also true, when it comes to preparing presentations. It’s recommended to learn all the design elements your slide show maker comes with and choose those of them you will need for your project. This also concerns the choice of color schemes, fonts, templates etc. Don’t try to save time, when working on your project. Otherwise, the quality may be at risk.

4. Make the Text Short

It is desirable to create slides with texts to convey the message you have. However, making the text too long can make the slide show too confusing and not understandable. So, it makes sense to write a short sentence or a phrase below each slide to be able to explain your point when presenting the project to the audience.

5. Make the Text and the Background Contrasting

Proper choice of a background is important, if you are going to add text to the slide. To attract the attention of people to your message, it is better to choose contrasting colors of the background and the text. When using the text, don’t add bulky images that will make the slide show easy-to-understand. By the way, experts recommend using not more than five basic colors in one presentation. These colours should harmoniously combine with each other to create the appealing effect and enhance the design of your slide show.

6. Don’t Use Too Many Images

Properly chosen images can present your topic in a more favorable light, but if there are too many images on one slide, they may spoil the entire message and design of it. One large or medium-sized photo looks much better than several small pictures. Keep that in mind when creating a presentation next time.

7. Make Use of Powerful Visuals

Making use of visuals is a nice idea, if you wish to give your slide show more comprehensive and understandable look and message. When it comes to conveying your ideas, one properly selected visual may be worth several images. They can improve the perception of the presentation and create better impact upon the audience.

8. Don’t Hurry!

The process of creating a presentation should be properly thought-over and consequent. If you are in a hurry, this won’t bring the desired effect as you run a risk of making too many mistakes and overlooking crucial nuances. If you have enough time not only to prepare the presentation, but also to check all the stages properly, then the chances to gain your objectives are quite high.